Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers converses with Byron Scott during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on December 4, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia.
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In Charlotte, Stephen Curry erupted for 40 points in his annual homecoming, scoring the final 24 points of the third quarter, and Golden State remained flawless with a 116-99 victory over the Hornets.
It was Bryant’s first 30-point performance since December of last season as he hit 4 3-pointers, including one to give the Lakers the lead at 101-99 with just over a minute to play.
“I would love nothing more than to be in an worldwide environment and be around some of the other great athletes one more time”, he told ESPN Radio when asked about the Rio Games.
What was most striking to Scott was Bryant’s demeanor in the moment.
Mike Scott scored 14 points and Jeff Teague added 13 for Atlanta, which improved to 13-9 and has the next five days off.
“It’s hard”, Scott said. I’m not sure how Scott even continued to coach (the Lakers wound up losing, 108-96).
“We are all just having fun and going out there and trying to play with the right energy”, Bryant said. “This is a flawless description of how I would want my game to be”. “He just started laughing. I know what I can do, I know how much better I can get and I’m not there yet”. “Being able to stay with it has been the most important thing to me”. I grew up coming to know Kobe as the face of the Lakers.
Restaurants and hotels were also beneficiaries of Bryant’s appearance as they were packed on Friday night.
Friday’s atmosphere couldn’t compete with the first two stops on the Lakers’ eight-game trip, Philadelphia and Washington. “During that game, when I was watching him and putting him in and taking him out, that’s the most relaxed and at peace that I’ve ever seen him”.
Bryant described the meeting with Obama as “inspirational” and said the two talked basketball and focused on “the future”. “We said we’ll go out there and play our game and that’s what we did”.
Bryant’s retirement carnival continued against a historically mundane opponent never to be confused with Boston or San Antonio in Lakers lore. And the team also showed a video montage of Bryant’s achievements on the JumboTron. Celtics fans are writing “I hate you but-” goodbye letters, teams are making tributes; I’m waiting for Charles Barkley to put his foot in his mouth.
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“I won’t have to coach a game like that [again]”, he said, “but I tell you, it was really cool the way he did it, because, like I said, it seemed like he was at peace”.
