He didn’t walk away, he flew away, on the wings of legend, through the clouds of Hollywood, with a final act unmatched in Los Angeles sports history.
In a retirement party for the ages Wednesday night, Kobe Bryant just wouldn’t quit.
He shot. He shot some more. He kept shooting. Shots from the courtside seats, from underneath the basket, on wild drives, off crazy dribbles, back to the basket, feet in the air, hands in his face, shooting forever.
He scored. He scored some more. Swishes, rim-rattlers, layups, three-pointers, fallaways, runners, one hand, finger rolls, scoring forever.
For nearly three hours in front of a Staples Center crowd that screamed and chanted every time he touched the ball, Kobe Bryant played the last game of his 20-year career like it was his first, leaving fans hoarse and numb while leading his Lakers to a 101-96 comeback victory over the Utah Jazz.
Sixty points. Not a misprint. Fifty shots. Seriously. Twenty-three points in the fourth quarter to lead the Lakers back from a 14-point deficit in the final 10 minutes. Are you kidding me?
“I gave my soul to this game,” an exhausted Bryant said afterward. “There’s nothing else I can give.”
Were you watching? At any point, did you find yourself brought from amazement to chills to tears? You were not alone.
He clanked his first five shots, made his next five shots, and spent the rest of the game drawing oohs and aahs and gasps and unadulterated screams from a crowd that wanted him to keep firing.
He was putting on a show for fans who had paid thousands for their tickets, just like he’s always done, and if you were here, you know the prices were worth it.
When his shots sank, he posed and growled. When his shots missed, he scowled, and actually froze and cursed loudly after one particularly crazy miss.
He patted his chest, gritted his teeth, stared to the sky, scuffed at the wood. He barked at officials, haughtily shook his head in ordering his teammates to get out of the way, threw a behind-the-back pass, blocked a shot, and basically pulled out every wonderfully reckless trick that he’s shown for two decades.
No matter where you were in the city, if you listened close, you could hear the fans chanting, “Ko-be, Ko-be, Ko-be” until those chants dissolved into a solid roar that may never end. If you listened extremely close in the final minutes, you heard your faithful correspondent stand up in his press seat and scream in awe. Professionalism be darned. This was Kobe Bryant, wearing the Lakers uniform for the last time, setting that jersey on fire. This was a legendary end to a legend.
For the record, the final basket of Bryant’s career was a 20-foot jumper with 32 seconds remaining to give the Lakers the lead. He wonderfully stalked off the court with his jaw jutting like he was a kid again.
Also for the record, his last official statistic was a floor-length pass to Jordan Clarkson for a dunk. That’s probably the most amazing part of an amazing night, right? Kobe Bryant’s last stat was an assist!
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Kobe Bryant signs the court late into the night at the Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant kisses his wife Vanessa long after his last game at the Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant leaves the court for the last time as a Laker, heading to the locker room after scoring 60 points and leading the team to a 101-96 win over the Utah Jazz.
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Kobe Bryant is all smiles after his final game at Staples Center Wednesday.
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Kobe Bryant shares a laugh with former teammate Derek Fisher on the court after scoring 60 points in his last game as a Laker at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant greets Lamar Odom after his final game at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant kisses his wife Vanessa after his final game.
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Kobe Bryant walks off the court after his final game at Staples Center.
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Lakers Kobe Bryant salutes the crowd at the end of the game.
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Kobe Bryant waves to the crowd as he walks off the court for the last time at Staples Center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Lakers Kobe Bryant pauses for a moment as confetti streams down following his last game at the Staples Center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant salutes the crowd at the end of his final game at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant feels the love of the fans at Staples Center following his final game.
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Lakers Kobe Bryant and A.C. Green after his final game at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant thanks the crowd after his final game at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant waves goodbye to the crowd after his final game at the Staples Center.
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Balloons and confetti fall after Kobe Bryant’s last game
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A security guard stnds alone on the court after Kobe Bryant’s last game at the Staples Center Wednesday.
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Los Angeles City Hall is decorated with Lakers’ purple and gold lights for Kobe Bryant’s last game.
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Kobe Bryant is mobbed as he scores 60-points in his final NBA game at the Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant gets a slap from comedian George Lopez after making a three-pointer in his final game.
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Kobe Bryant watches as the ball hits the bottom of the net during his last game as a Los Angeles Laker against the Utah Jazz.
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Kobe Bryant stretches out as he makes a basket during his final game as a Laker on April 12 at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant drives late in the final minutes of the game at Staples Center.
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Kanye West and Jay Z greet each other before Kobe Bryant’s final game.
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Kobe Bryant drives the ball in the third quarter of his final game at the Staples Center Wednesday.
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Kobe Bryant tries to steal the ball in his last game as a Laker at the Staples Center Wednesday, April 12.
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Kobe Bryant shakes hands with Shaquille O’Neal at his final game at Staples Center on April 13.
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The Weeknd and girlfriend Bella Hadid arrive for Kobe Bryant’s final game at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant is stripped of the ball by Jazz guard Rodney Hood during first half action at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant drives to the basket during the first half of his final NBA game.
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Lamar Odom attends Kobe Bryant’s final game at Staples Center.
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Lakers star Kobe Bryant, center, heads to the locker room after scoring 22 points in the first half of his final game on Wednesday, April 13, 2016, at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
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Kobe Bryant takes a shot in the first quarter of his final game at the Staples Center Wednesday.
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Kobe Bryant blocks a shot by Trevor Booker in his final game at Staples Center on Wednesday.
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Front row fans, including Jack Nicholson cheer Kobe Bryant after he hits a shot during first half action against the Jazz at Staples Center.
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LOS ANGELES-CA-APRIL 13, 2016: Kobe thanks the crowd before his final game at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant is welcomed onto the court for his farewell game at Staples Center on April 13.
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Kobe Bryant acknowledges the Staples Center crowd during a pregame ceremony.
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Kobe Bryant with Magic Johnson before Kobe plays his last game as a Los Angeles Laker against the Utah Jazz.
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Surrounded by cameras Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson embrace before Bryant’s final game at the Staples Center Wednesday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant waits for introductions before his final game at the Staples Center Wednesday, April 13. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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T-shirts await fans who attend Kobe Bryant’s final game at Staples Center.
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A young girl, sporting Kobe Bryant’s original No. 8 Lakers jersey, bounces a ball on the court before the future Hall-of-Famer’s final game.
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The Lakers store at Staples Center was all about Kobe Bryant and his merchandise on the day of his final NBA game.
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Fans gather outside Staples Center before Kobe Bryant’s final game in a Laker uniform.
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Rock star “Flea” rehearses the national anthem before Kobe Bryant’s last game on April 13, 2016, as players warm-up. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Fans gathered outside Staples Center ahead of Kobe Bryant’s final game with the Lakers.
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Lakers fans gather outside Staples Center before the final game of Kobe Bryant’s career.
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Chick Hearn Court is packed as fans descend on Staples Cener to witness Kobe Bryant play his last game as a Los Angeles Laker against the Utah Jazz.
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Lakers fans get a Kobe chant going outside Staples Center in Los Angeles before Laker great Kobe Bryant’s final game on Wednesday.
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Members of a group of Kobe Bryant fans who flew in from China, including Iris Hong of Beijing, right, get excited outside Staples Center for the player’s last game Wednesday.
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Fans sign a giant card for Kobe Bryant outside Staples Center before his final game Wednesday.
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Kobe Bryant fans swarm to Staples Center in Los Angeles to show their love for the Laker great at his last game Wednesday.
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Kobe Bryant footwear is on display as the Laker Girls arrive for Wednesday night’s game, the basketball star’s last.
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Fans sign a giant card for Kobe Bryant outside Staples Center in Los Angeles before his final game Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles TImes) “Tonight was trying to go out and play hard and try to put on a show as much as I possibly could,” he said.
He was 37 going on 27 going on 17, and when he was finally removed from the game, he clapped for the screaming crowd and gave them a weary wave. Then he completed perhaps the Kobe-iest night ever by finishing his career in a perfect full circle.
He walked to the sidelines, found former nemesis Shaquille O’Neal, and hugged him.
Then, after the game ended, he stepped back on the court and addressed the crowd with all the wonder that had just been witnessed.
“Man!” he shouted into the microphone, pausing for another roar.
He added, “You know ... I can’t believe how fast 20 years went by, this is crazy, this is absolutely crazy. ... We’ve been through our ups and been through our downs, the most important part is that we all stayed together throughout. To spend 20 years here, you can’t write something better than this.”
And, no, could anyone have written something better than this ending?
“The thing that had me cracking up all night long, I go through 20 years of everybody screaming for me to pass the ball and the last night they’re like, don’t pass it,” Bryant shouted to a laughing crowd.
He finished by saying, “God, I love you guys.”
And, then, of course, “What can I say? Mamba out!”
He blew a kiss and he was gone, but, as he later showed, he will be Kobe forever. Meeting with the media, he was asked if this were a perfect ending.
“A perfect ending would have been a championship,” he said.
But then he added that he just couldn’t help himself. “I just gave myself up today,” he said. “This is cool. This is fun. Just let it ride. Just enjoy it.”
Sitting here amid a Staples Center full of Kobe Bryant stories, I’ll end with mine. Actually 607 stories. That is number of pieces I have written for this newspaper that contained the name, “Kobe Bryant,” as I’ve covered him from his first game to his last.
In the end, my favorite moments were not watching him on the court, but walking with him in the tunnel as he headed to his car after the game. Because he was perhaps the only NBA player with no use for an entourage, he usually walked alone, with only a bodyguard trailing a respectful distance behind him.
It was on those walks that he talked of his desperate need to win, his loathing of losing, and his belief that passion and perseverance could overcome anything. In some ways, it is a walk shared by everyone who has ever watched him shoot a basketball.
It was a walk he made for the last time Wednesday night, yellow confetti at his feet, the roars still ringing in his ears, that fadeaway shot still falling. With footsteps that will never be filled, Kobe Bryant has left the building.
Follow Kobe Bryant on Twitter: @billplaschke.
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