Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers ultimately won the title, but James’ Cleveland Cavaliers fell short in six games against the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.
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At least for the prodigal son.
Bryant also cited his high school coach, Gregg Downer, who is still the coach at Lower Merion.
On Sunday night, 5-time National Basketball Association champion Kobe Bryant announced that the 2015-16 National Basketball Association season would be his last.
After that, the night unraveled.
With the crowd standing and roaring in appreciation, the 37-year-old Bryant was lauded like a hometown hero, not the “Hometown Zero” he was once labeled in a Philadelphia newspaper.
“It feels good”, Downer said of being part of the ceremony and part of Bryant’s life. But the problem became for me what does that really mean?
When asked over the summer if he could envision the coda to his career coming overseas, Bryant divulged: “I can see myself doing that”. In all likelihood, Kobe will surpass 14,000 missed attempts this season, if he stays fit.
On the letter, he said, “My love for this city, this team and for each of you will never fade”. Anyway the point is that if Woods is saying that Bryant has been “tough to watch”, then what does that, in fact, say about Kobe? “Ain’t going to happen there, man. But if I said I wasn’t getting a little emotional about it, I’d be lying”.
With 1:09 to play, Bryant jumped with T.J. McConnell, the Sixers’ rookie backup point guard. “A decision like this, you can’t make that decision based on outside circumstances”, Bryant said after the game.
Jordan Clarkson continued his run of strong play with 19 points on 9-of-19 shooting, while rookie D’Angelo Russell added 12 points, four rebounds and four assists.
“I’ve been disappointed this year because you guys treated him like sh*t”.
Players like LeBron James have already started circling their calendars for games against Bryant, and if the superstars are doing it, one can only imagine the average National Basketball Association player is glued to a tablet every time Bryant takes the court.
He said it would be “an honor” to remain involved with the Lakers organization in some capacity.
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Something tells me that Slay will not be the only one wearing a Kobe jersey to the Pistons game on Sunday.
