No one ever imagined that Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers would ever retire, but after 20 years of greatness, he decided that the 2015-2016 season would be his last. Throughout the regular season teams all over the league put on a special tribute for the Black Mamba as he took the floor for the last time across the United States. Last time a player had that much recognition throughout the league it was Michael Jordan. Growing up you idolized Kobe weather you liked him or not. Counting the clock down in your head and pulling a fade-away jump shot and yelling “Kobe” after the release was something everyone did at one point in their lives.
It was a love/hate relationship with Bryant and if you’re from Boston like myself then the hatred was beyond belief. The two franchises went head to head throughout Bryant’s career and at the end of the day it was the Mamba who came out on top. You hated him because he was a great player who killed your favorite team on a day to day basis. Kobe has scored 40+ points against every team in the NBA; he was just one of two players to do that. Now, if some of you don’t really know who Kobe is, then you might’ve remembered hearing about his 81 point performance in 2006 against the Toronto Raptors. Behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game, Kobe holds the second most single-game scoring output in NBA history. “I love going one-on-one with someone. That's what I do. I've never lost. It's a whole different game, just to have them right in front of you and be able to do whatever you want” he controls the tempo of the game every time the ball is in hands. He controls the movement of the 9 other guys on the floor. No one could stop him and when someone thought they were playing good defense the ball would go straight through the back of the net.
The number of buzzer beaters and clutch shots Bryant has made down the stretch over his 20-year career is jaw-dropping. If it’s the fourth quarter and the game is on the line 9/10 times the Lakers will win the game with the ball in Kobe’s hands. The argument of who is better Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant is often put to bed because we tend to give respect where respect is due. Kobe is the closest thing to Michael Jordan period; end of discussion. Their moves, personalities, and swagger are mirror images of one another.
On April 13, Kobe Bryant took the floor for one last time against the Utah Jazz; a team that gave him problems since his rookie year. The game looked to be in the hands of Utah, but once that fourth quarter hit vintage Kobe came out. Kobe went out with 60 points and the Lakers won 101-96 in his last game and ending the playoff hopes for the Utah Jazz. The Jazz were up the whole game, but Kobe just wouldn’t quit. Even though he shot fifty shots, his heart overruled his shot percentage and went out the way most people couldn’t when they retire. After April 13, there is no one in the NBA who was drafted in the 1996 draft class.
