Kobe Bryant and the Lakers started the night looking pretty nervous. I can only imagine why after all of the hype and the introduction given by Magic Johnson. But as the first quarter came to a close ... KOBE WENT OFF AND NEVER STOPPED. Kobe hit five straight shots, sending Staples Center into a frenzy, and ended his final NBA game with an incredible 60 points, the most by any player in the league this season.
Kobe Bryant goes vintage Mamba with 60 points in his final NBA game
KOBE!
Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Kobe finished the night shooting 22-of-50 from the field, 6-of-21 from three and 10-of-12 from the free throw line en route to his historic total. For the 37-year-old, it was the perfect way to leave the court after a legendary 20-year career that included many similar scoring outbursts, but none quite like this one.
It all started with the vintage drive that signaled what kind of night this would be.
And then the corner 3 with a defender in his face!
And a 3-pointer from the wing where the bench went wild and Jay-Z nodded in approval.
Not everything was been perfect. Kobe was cold from three throughout the game and needed an absurd 50 shots to score his 60 points. Then again, it’s fairly remarkable that he even managed to shoot that many times in 42 (!!!) minutes. How else would expect him to go out?
When he has passed, it was of the fancy variety, too.
In the second half, we got another Kobe classic: the baseline fadeaway.
The hits kept coming from there. Once Kobe found his groove late in the fourth quarter and the crowd starting getting into it, you could tell he’d keep shooting. And in this special game, after so many other great performances in special games, he stepped up once again. Before hitting points 59 and 60 on free throws, he nailed one last jumper like thousands of others.
We’re gonna miss you, Kobe.
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