Kobe Bryant has been in the NBA for the past 20 years, all with the Los Angeles Lakers. I have never been a Los Angeles Lakers fan, probably because I played the homer card on the deal and was in denial that the Lakers were once a Minneapolis team, even though I wasn't alive when that all went down. So, that didn't make much sense. Then, once Kobe Bryant came into the league and started to shine, I felt he was so entitled that he wasn't seeing the world around him and appreciating the situation he was given. When he came into the league, I was 18 years old. I was immature and quick to judge, and I didn't like how he carried himself. I had labeled a fellow young man as "cocky". And then there was the Colorado incident that probably tested him the greatest during his 20 year car. Being accused of rape is a serious deal, and for most, it would be a career killer. You usually get the endorsements stripped and then the pressure usually puts the career away. That did not happen to Kobe Bryant and for years I was angry that he survived that situation professionally. After all, the timing of the events of how that Colorado situation played out, it had appeared that a professional athlete, with a lot of money, was able to buy himself out of a jam. At that time, being the young man that I was, I believed that. I wasn't alone, that feeling existed nationwide in a lot of people, and by many who were much older than I was. So after those alleged rape accusations were dropped and his wife benefited with a brand new four million dollar ring, I was officially not a Kobe Bryant fan and swore that I never would be.
Fast forward to Wednesday night, April 13th. On this night was the final night of the regular season in the NBA, it was the final game of Kobe Bryant's 20th season, and most importantly...the final game of Kobe Bryant's career. You basically had to be living in a box to not know that Kobe's final game was coming this week. I will be honest, I didn't know it was tonight. It was not one of those events that I put on my calendar as a must watch, because earlier tonight, I still was not a Kobe Bryant fan. I didn't like how the Shaq-Kobe relationship panned out after that dynasty had ended. Despite that falling out between two competitive mega stars of the NBA really being about publicity and two passionate players having passion for the game, I still wasn't giving Kobe any slack. So, I noticed on Twitter tonight that Kobe's point total for his final game was climbing quickly. It caught my attention.
I turned on the Lakers game for the fourth quarter. I wanted to see the people sitting court side who were paying $27,000 for a court side seat, and then I realized that half of Hollywood was occupying those seats and it made sense and I should've known. Despite that, I heard a stat right after turning on the game that no player had scored 35 plus points in their final career game. That intrigued me. So I tuned in. At the point I turned on the game, the Lakers were losing by something like 12 points. It kind seemed like it was a shoot around in a meaningless game. I really have to give Kobe Bryant's teammates a lot of credit. There are a lot of young guys on that team and the were totally on board with making Kobe's final game memorable. They knew on every offensive possession of the fourth quarter, they had to get the ball to Kobe. They did exactly that and Kobe didn't disappoint.
When the game sounded the final buzzer, Kobe Bryant had finished the night with 60 points. That's crazy. Kobe Bryant has always made amazing and unbelievable shots, which before tonight, always pissed me off and also jealous since 2004 (the last time the Minnesota Timberwolves made the playoffs). To go along with the fact that Kobe Bryant just scored 60 points in the final game of his career where no other player even scored 35 points in their final game, Kobe's 60 also was the most points scored by any NBA player in the league this year, and it came from a guy who is retiring.
So after 20 years, and for tonight, I was a big Kobe Bryant fan. What he did in his final game is amazing and I am glad that I tuned in for the final quarter of that game. To come out on the final game of your career, with thousands in attendance and millions watching on television and the thousands that some paid to watch, the performance that Kobe put out on the floor was a fitting ending to a wonderful career. It also should've been an event appreciated by the true sports fan no matter what your personal feelings of Kobe Bryant are. I am glad the game was about his contributions to the game and that they left the personal stuff aside. Kobe Bryant made the Lakers organization and the NBA proud tonight. The performance was unbelievable and I am totally glad I tuned into the fourth quarter and watched.
#mambaday
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