Kobe Bryant went out as only Kobe could, dropping 60 points in the last game of his career. It was a quintessential Kobe performance, as the Lakers star chucked without remorse to the tune of 50 field goal attempts. Yet he managed to help his team get a win despite using so many possessions.
Kobe Bryant had by far the best final game in NBA history
Not even other legends can come close to matching the performance Kobe had to end his career.
It was the highest-scoring game of the season and the perfect capper for the career of one of the best scorers the NBA has ever seen. It was also the best last game anyone has ever had in league history by a wide margin. Not even other Hall of Famers came close to matching Kobe’s point total in their final appearance on an NBA court. In fact, not one of them scored even half of the 60 Kobe dropped.
The highest-scoring last game among those in the NBA's 50 Greatest Players belongs to Celtics legend John Havlicek, who scored 29 points against the Buffalo Braves in the last regular season game of the 1977-78 season. Only four other players on that list ever cracked 20 points in their last appearance: Dave Bing (24), Wilt Chamberlain (23), Julius Erving (24) and Sam Jones (24).
Granted, that list is somewhat controversial and outdated. It’s missing some of the top 50 scorers in NBA history, as well as recently retired stars like Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Chris Webber, Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, Chauncey Billups, Steve Nash and Jason Kidd. Even including all of those players, only two more games of 20 or more points are to be found: Reggie Miller’s 27-point outing against the Pistons in the 2005 playoffs, and Walter Davis’ 20-point performance against Dallas in 1992.
So in one night Kobe not only got the most points of the season but also had a unique performance that no other superstar in league history could even halfway approximate in his final NBA appearance. In fact, many have actually scored zero points in their farewell games. It is extremely rare for players of Bryant’s caliber to have one last great night in them to close their careers. In that regard, Kobe stands alone.
Bryant would surely have loved to go out with a title or at least a shot at one. Alas, that was not meant to be. Instead, he had to settle with having the best-scoring final game in NBA history by a mile. Not a bad consolation prize, all things considered.
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