He went out with a 60-point outing against the Jazz, marking the sixth 60-point game of his career. Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant, left, works against Utah Jazz guard Shelvin Mack during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 13, 2016, in Los Angeles.
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“Though the criminal charges were ultimately dropped after 15 months and the civil case was settled behind closed doors, the Kobe Bryant rape case left behind a legacy of victim blaming, media sensationalism, and image fix that still influences society – and other high-profile rape cases – to this day”.
Lakers fan Brad Taylor from NY said the game was the end of an era.
Kobe’s last game against LeBron James. “And then the last night, they’re like, ‘Don’t pass it!'”
This meeting between the two Western Conference teams will be highly anticipated as this marks the final time that Kobe Bryant will ever play a competitive game in the league.
“The game is going to be a “zircus” – a zoo and a circus”, said Lakers publicist John Black, according to newspaper. The subject has attracted more than 300,000 comments, with 140 million readings.
“It means everything” to finish at home, Bryant said.
Because of his injuries, Bryant may not be the player he was at the start of his career.
Here’s a look back at his life and career by the numbers. With a shoulder on the verge of falling off all season and legs hardly able to carry him through the locker room at times, Bryant somehow summoned the strength for a storybook ending.
“Playing 20 seasons in any professional sport is rare”, ESPN writes.
Lakers host Jazz on Wednesday. “Now that’s an exclusive club”. In twenty seasons with the Lakers, Bryant was named an All-Star in every one except his first and the 1998-99 season, when the game was cancelled due to the lockout.
Magic Johnson also gave a loving speech, and embraced Bryant before he hit the court to play his final game. The National Basketball Players Association asked both Booker and center Tyson Chandler what they admired about Bryant and what the Mamba’s most meaningful advice to them was.
He won Olympic gold with the United States in 2008 and 2012.
“For 20 years. Excellence for 20 years”.
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Bryant announced this season would be his last in a poignant letter written in the form of a poem on The Players’ Tribune in November. And then a torn right rotator cuff in January 2015 required surgery.
