Butler/NBAE/Getty Images Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant will be doing battle against each other this season as the Lakers superstar announced that this season will be his last in the NBA.
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“This feels good”, he said, “to finally put it together – come out, play a full 48 (minutes)”.
When asked if the reaction from fans has been more than he expected, Bryant laughed and said, “Yes, I thought everybody hated me”. With 1:46 left, Randle wrested a Bryant miss, giving the Lakers an extra possession that led to a pair of free throws for Jordan Clarkson, giving the Lakers a 98-95 edge.
Wall made 14 of 24 shots and had 10 assists for the Wizards. Philadelphia also ended a 28-game losing streak, longest in the history of the four major North American sports.
Wizards center Marcin Gortat also expressed his praise for Bryant, saying, “It felt bad that we lost, but I’m glad to have lived and played during his legacy”.
Kobe Bryant was not the only person on the Lakers having the worst year of his career. Thus the pair’s National Basketball Association histories were intertwined, a fact that Bryant noted before the Lakers-76ers game.
As for Bryant, he waved and thanked the crowd as he walked off that court for the final time.
“I’m not the most emotional person”, Bryant said.
He has helped win five NBA championships for the Lakers, is a 17-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and is a two-time gold medalist from the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
The fans got to see Bryant score 20 points in the Lakers’ loss and his introduction in front of his hometown fans was met with a standing ovation. They trailed by nine in the opening stages of the fourth quarter. “I would never whine, ‘Oh, you’re being too hard on me, please stop.’ That wouldn’t even sound like me”. Scored 22 points on 12 first-half turnovers.
He is still shooting 15 points per game on average though.
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“We have an extremely limited number of seats remaining for tonight’s game at this point”.
