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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By the end of the game, the Washington fans gave their final respects to one of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) best players, showing their appreciation for the years that Bryant had performed his best.
Here is what you need to know before the Lakers’ contest with the Atlanta Hawks.
The consolation is that Bryant’s two made long-range bombs came during the Lakers furious comeback as they closed the gap to just four points late in the fourth quarter.
The circus was showing in a less-enthused arena, and the Lakers (3-16) acted like it. By halftime, their discombobulated offense had mustered all of 36 points, otherwise known as a typical quarter for Golden State.
“It’s just been two games”, Scott said.
However, he had one of his better games recently during the Lakers’ 108-104 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, shooting a decent 41.7 percent from the field and firing 31 points in a vintage performance.
Scott noted that Bryant delivered the news with his trademark coolness. Julius Randle had a double-double midway through the third quarter and finished with 14 points and 19 boards, while D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson both were in the double digits in the scoring column (18 and 13, respectively). Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins said, “I’ll see you in the Hall” during the tribute.
While Scott felt quite understandably scattered after the stunning disclosure, Bryant himself proceeded with business as usual.
Scott told Kobe how caught off guard he was when the former MVP told him this year would be his last.
In this stretch of 15 games, Bryant led the Lakers to a 13-2 record while averaging 32.6 points.
Bryant sank his first two shots, including a 3-pointer. He goes through the Heat’s locker room area, back over to the training room, and who is already just sitting there in the tub…Kobe Bryant.
Now that the announcement is out, Bryant has officially written his goodbye to basketball via The Players Tribune, players and fans are crying out their sincerest goodbyes.
Earlier in the day, Bryant said he shared a short visit and conversation at the White House with President Barack Obama.
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“I think our defense in the first half gave us the cushion”, Mike Budenholzer said after the game. To make things even more classic, Kings head coach Paul Westphal simply watched Bryant’s feet the entire time to make sure he didn’t step out and walked straight towards the locker room once the ball left his hands.
