Kobe Bryant, also known as the “Black Mamba,” retired his No. 24 jersey on Wednesday, April 13 after devoting his entire 20-year NBA career to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bryant was striving to score 50 points in his last game at the Staples Center, but instead he finished his legendary career with a 60-point performance.
Victory was looking doubtful for the Lakers with just a little over three minutes left in the fourth quarter while they trailed behind the Utah Jazz by 10 points.
Bryant scored 23 points in the final quarter, leading his team to a 101-96 triumph.
"It is hard to believe that it happened this way," Bryant said. "I am still in shock about it. To be here, for it to happen like this in front of the fans and my teammates and their families... it is still a shock to me."
Bryant was drafted into the NBA at age 17 and was the 13th overall pick, taken by the Charlotte Hornets, but was then traded to the Lakers.
The Black Mamba won five championship rings, three from consecutive titles in 2000, 2001, and 2002. He then earned two more in 2009 and 2010. He also won two Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012.
Bryant won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award in the 2007-08 season. He was selected for the all-star game every year except his rookie season and the 1998-99 season when the all-star game was cancelled due to a NBA lockout.
The Staples Center went all out for Bryant’s last game, incorporating his numbers 8 and 24 into the hardwood floor, and putting enormous photographs of him outside of the arena.
Courtside tickets for the game sold for as high $27,500, compared to $1,000 to $2,000 for a typical game.
A few days before Bryant’s final game, Nike released a special video of various famous athletes paying their respects to the star.
Some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities came to cheer on Bryant at his final game including Jay-Z, Kanye West, Adam Levine, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Kobe was trending on twitter while fans from all over the country were tweeting using the hashtags, #ThankYouKobe and #MambaDay.
Bryant announced his retirement in November 2014 and it was not a shock considering the 37-year-old tore his Achilles tendon at the end of the 2013 season and spent a majority of the next season recovering. When he returned, he injured his knee and tore his rotator cuff, which required surgery.
April 13, Mamba Day, was a day that people witnessed history and celebrated a great career.
Bryant gave a speech at the end of the game thanking his family, friends, and fans, and expressing his love for basketball.
“Man, I can't believe how fast 20 years went by,” Bryant told the crowd. “It's crazy, absolutely crazy to be standing here on the same court with you guys, with my teammates behind me.”
“I appreciate the journey we have been on, there have been a few ups and downs but the most important part is that we all stayed together throughout… all I can do here is thank you guys for all the years of support, all the years of inspiration. This has been unbelievable. I can't believe it has come to an end.”
"Mamba out."
