Kobe Bryant has officially announced his retirement from the NBA, which will take effect after this current season. He will have played 20 seasons in the league, all with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five championships including three straight from 2000-2002, and two in a row from 2009-2010. Barring injury, by the end of this season Kobe will have played in over 1300 games, started over 1100, and logged nearly 50,000 minutes. Kobe has been selected to 17 All-Star teams, 16 straight dating back to 2000, and will surely be selected one last time this season. He won four All-Star game MVP awards, surprisingly only one regular season MVP award, and was Finals MVP in 2009 and 2010. Kobe has done it all. He has missed the most shots in NBA history but is top five in free throw attempts, top 30 in assists, and, of course, third on the all-time scoring list. He was also an outstanding defensive player, as he is in the top 15 in steals and made the NBA All-Defensive team 12 times, nine of which he was selected to the first team. Kobe Bryant is the best player of his generation, beating out other players such as Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson. He won championships, scoring titles, and MVP awards. His best season statistically came in 2005-2006, when he averaged 35.4 points, 4.5 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game. He will always be remembered for his pure basketball talent, but should also be remembered for his outstanding work ethic and refusal to back down from anyone.
Kobe's picture should be next to the word "competitive" in the dictionary. No matter the situation, whether it was practice, preseason, regular season, or playoffs, Kobe Bryant played at his highest level. He made his teammates better even though he had a few run-ins with them due to his competitiveness and arrogance, but his arrogance is what led to his confidence, which led to him being one of the greatest basketball players of all-time. No matter what he will be remembered for, there's no arguing that the man had talent. Here's what I will remember Kobe the most for:
Kobe Scores 81
In 2006, Kobe Bryant scored the second-most points in a single game in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100.
Kobe Welcomes Dwight Howard to the NBA
In the 2004-2005 season, Kobe welcomed the future three-time defensive player of the year into the league by dunking on his head.
Old Man Kobe Can Still Jump
In 2013, Kobe Bryant decided to show Brooklyn that he could still hop, by dunking on two Nets.
18-Year-Old Kobe Wins the Dunk Contest
Kobe Dunks on the Timberwolves in the 2003 Playoffs
Clutchest Player of All-Time?
Classic Kobe Fadeaway Jumper
My friends and I would try to make this shot in the driveway over and over again. It's still the hardest shot for me to make.
