Moments before Kobe Bryant’s final NBA game on April 13, 2016, three of his Los Angeles Lakers teammates cornered him near his locker to review the game plan for the season finale.
The Lakers entered the night at 16-65, the second worst record in the NBA, behind only the Philadelphia 76ers (10-72), who were at the nadir of their Process Era. But the Purple and Gold weren’t packing their bags for Cancun just yet. The young, rebuilding team had pride. More importantly, they revered Bryant and had collectively devised a scheme to send the 20-year veteran out in style.
“Listen, we want you to get up, like, 100 shots tonight. We gonna make sure of it,” Tarik Black, the Lakers’ backup center told Bryant. He then pointed to fellow big men Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr. “If we get a rebound, we throwing you the ball.”
Bryant protested at first. “No, just play basketball.”
“Nah, we’re not listening to you,” Black replied. “You’re gonna get these shots off tonight.”
Bryant put his head down and laughed. Then he walked out onto the court at the Staples Center and delivered a curtain call in the most Mamba way possible. Kobe went out on his shield on that Wednesday night in downtown Los Angeles. Before a star-studded sold out crowd featuring Jack Nicholson, Jay-Z, David Beckham, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Flea, and former teammates such as Shaquille O’Neal, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Robert Horry, and Lamar Odom, Bryant dropped 60 points on 22-50 shooting (!!!) in the Lakers’ 101-96 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Tarik Black still thinks about that moment — and his late teammate — ten years later. “I believe that was a motivating factor for him, like, ‘They just challenged me to do this. The young fellas want to see it. This is what everybody’s here for,’” he says. “He might have already been there mentally. None of us can take credit for what he did. But that might’ve played a part. I don’t know. We can’t ask him now.”
It was a magical night in an otherwise disappointing season for the Black Mamba; Bryant averaged 17.6 points per game on a career-low 35.8 shooting percentage over 66 games. But the 2015-16 season was a worthy celebration of the 37-year-old Lakers legend.
Ten years later, Complex spoke with former teammates and rivals about Kobe Bean Bryant’s final season. These are 14 Never-Before-Told Stories from Kobe Bryant’s Farewell Tour.
Roy Hibbert (Center, Los Angeles Lakers)
When I was traded from the Pacers to the Lakers, me, Brandon Bass, and Lou Williams had a press conference. At the end, they asked if anybody had heard from Kobe, and all three of us looked at each other and said no. It was a funny moment. My agent, David Falk, was like, “Hey, this is how Kobe is. He's gonna push and challenge you. You gotta give it right back to him.”
When I was on the Pacers, and we played L.A., Kobe drove to the basket, pump-faked, jumped into me, and broke my nose. I had to wear a mask for a long time. I broke the ice with him by telling him about the play. He was like, “Next time, get the fuck out the way.”
I had seen the videos of Kobe going at Jeremy Lin and Swaggy P in practice. I was ready for that, but given his age, I can count on one hand the number of times he practiced with us. When he did, it’d be the last 15-20 minutes of scrimmaging. And the intensity rose so much. There was something in the air when Kobe came to practice.
There was a tough game in Orlando where we were up by one on the last play of the game. Nikola Vučević catches it with his back to the basket, turns, fades away, and hits the game-winner. I was so down on myself. I went to this restaurant called Crest with my father-in-law, and all of a sudden, I saw the team’s security come in to get a table for Kobe. He came up to me, like, “What you upset for?” I was like, “I played good defense—I had my hand right there on the contest—and he hit the shot in my face.” Kobe looked at me without blinking and was like, “Roy, what do you do when you take a shit? You flush and move on.” That's as straight as he was.
Kobe was definitely a deep thinker. On the team plane, it went by seniority: the front of the plane is for players, the middle is for coaches, and the back is for media and training staff. He always had two seats; most of the time, Rob Lara, his security, would sit next to him, and they would talk. Sometimes he would tell me to come sit next to him, and I would just pick his brain. He told me he wrote a lot—he would listen to his daughters tell stories before bedtime and write all that stuff down. The 2016 election was coming up, so we talked heavily about politics. I felt like I was getting to know him. Not on a super personal level, but he was letting me in.
I remember during his final game he went to the scorer's table and subbed himself into the game—he didn't even talk to [Coach Byron] Scott. That was something I had never seen before. Seeing that, it felt like something special was happening.
The number of grown men—players and coaches—from the Jazz running to get Kobe to sign something was crazy. But the first person I saw standing outside the locker room was Kanye West. I was like, “Yo, y'all making Kanye wait out here?”
Vince Carter (Wing, Memphis Grizzlies)
Final Game vs. Kobe: March 22, 2016, Lakers 107 Grizzlies 100
Kobe’s Statline: 7-18 20 points 2 rebounds 1 assist
Carter’s Statline: 1-5 4 points 7 rebounds 0 assist
We played against each other in AAU ball over the years. There wasn’t hate but there was competition. There were times when Kobe and I actually went face-to-face about to fight each other. But Kobe’s last year was different, man. He still had the Mamba Mentality and killer instinct, but he opened up.
It was just a different side of Kobe. He was at peace about the inevitable. When you retire, you’re walking away from something and there’s always the fear of what’s next or what’s on the other side. But you could see he was at peace.
Playing against him at Memphis, we embraced and had a cool conversation before the game. We even had a cool conversation during the game. I remember he was going baseline and was going to shoot one of his fadeaways There is a [photo] of me floating in the air on the pump fake I'm literally trying to block the ball and send it into the stands. But he pump faked, reloaded, and then hit the shot. We had a conversation about that. Those things didn’t happen before. Back then, he’d have a monotone look on his face and that killer instinct demeanor. But he had a smile on for his final run.
Believe it or not, Kobe Bryant was the one person who helped me say the word “retirement.” For a long time, up until a meeting we had in Brooklyn, where he brought his daughter Gigi to the game, I did not say, “retirement.” I’d just say, “My last season.” I wasn’t one with the word yet. I had that conversation with Kob that night after the game. To see him so at peace and relaxed and to hear him say, ‘This was the best decision ever. You’re going to love it. I get to be around my daughter.’
He had met my daughter. He was like, ‘We’re gonna get to coach our daughters, be there to see them grow, and become what they’re going to become.’ The last thing he said to me was, ‘Let’s get together on a phone call and we’ll talk more about it.’ That was our last conversation.
The crazy thing about the whole thing is that he died on my birthday. January 26. We were playing a game that night in Atlanta when we got the news.
Brandon Bass (Power Forward, Los Angeles Lakers)
Kobe and the team as a whole didn’t start off well that season. People started to talk bad about him, like, he ain't got nothing left, maybe he needs to retire. But when he wrote that letter announcing it would be his final season, it went from people talking down on him to celebrating him. I don't know if Kobe did that strategically. But if he did, that was genius.
He was so focused on his next thing. For me, it’s hard to let basketball go. It's been a part of me for so long. I want to be 90 years old shooting at the gym a couple of times a week. I asked him one time, “Would you retire and come back?” He was like “No! When I’m done, I’m done. Not even gonna look back.”
He was really straightforward. One time, somebody came into the locker room talking about eating healthy. He was like, “Man, fuck all that eating-healthy shit. Better put that ball in the basket.” Another time, he was late for the plane. We’re watching his helicopter land, and the golf cart goes to get him. Kobe is taking his time, he wasn’t even trippin’. Nick [Young] said something slick to him when he came on. And man, Kobe said something so disrespectful. I don't even want to say what he said. You couldn't say nothing to Kobe without him being on point with the one-liners and comebacks.
There was a situation in Portland where Kobe had all the Nike [executives] on the sidelines, and Damian Lillard was out there putting on a show—so much so, that Kobe had to start guarding him. Dame was already hot. So, we ended up losing. That was my first time hearing Kobe really be mad. He told the young guys to take off their [signature Kobe Nike] shoes.
One day we were talking about one thing he'd do better than Michael Jordan. Mike had a strong right hand pull up. He said he had both the pull up strong left and right. He felt that was his edge on Mike. Having those conversations was the coolest thing. We didn't have them often, but when he wanted to talk, me, Roy [Hibbert], Lou [Williams], we were just running off questions and just having conversations with him. Those times were the highlight of the season.
I found out in conversation how much his wife meant to him, too. During tough times, he was like, “What do I look like if my wife tells stories to my kids about how great I was as a ball player, how tough I was, and I quit on her? I quit and I failed that marriage, but I succeeded at all these other great things? I'm gonna fight for this game—you mean to tell me I ain't fighting for my wife or my kids?” His wife being by his side meant everything to him. Kobe was like, there's an athlete—I’m not gonna say his name—that quit on his marriage and his family, and he'd never been the same since. That was powerful.
Trevor Booker (Power Forward, Utah Jazz)
Final Game vs. Kobe: April 13, 2016 Lakers 101 Jazz 96
Kobe’s Statline: 60 PTS (22-50) 4 REB 4 AST
Booker’s Statline: 8 PTS (4-7) 5 REB 2 AST
I really didn't know what to expect going into the last game. I figured it would be crazy, but I didn't know to what magnitude. Once I got there, the atmosphere was different. Fans cheering. All the different stars in the stands: Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Shaq. I remember it like it was yesterday.
Kobe got off to a very slow start. He was struggling in the first quarter. I don't know how many of his first shots he missed. I can't remember what quarter it was, but I went up for a dunk and he blocked me. Everything changed after that. I'm like, shit, I was the cause of Kobe getting 60! Even though I was an opponent of Kobe's, to know that I helped him get going was pretty cool.
I was the last person to ever foul Kobe. He went to the free throw line to get those two extra points to hit 60. That's my claim to fame right there. But that night was definitely special. Kobe was my favorite player. I remember sitting at the free throw line hearing the crowd chant for him. After the game, we had a special pair of shoes they gave us for the game, which I still have to this day. I wanted to go up to him and get those signed. But I didn't get a chance. [I was] afraid to take away that moment from him.
It wasn't the best feeling in our locker room, because we lost and weren't going to the playoffs. So we couldn't talk about the excitement of the game. But once the coaches left the locker room, of course there was a lot of chatter about all the moments and partaking in a game of that magnitude.
Patrick Beverley (Point Guard, Houston Rockets)
Final Game vs. Kobe: April 10, 2016 Rockets 130 Lakers 110
Kobe’s Statline: 35 PTS (10-22) 2 REB 1 AST
Beverley’s Statline: 19 PTS (7-11) 7 REB 6 AST
I played with Trevor Ariza, who was one of [Kobe’s] favorite teammates, one of his good friends. I'm like, “Man, how is Kobe? What is he like?” T.A. said, “Man, he a dog. He different. He likes you though, Pat. He likes your attitude, what you bring to the game.” I'm like, “Oh shit, Kobe Bryant knows who I am?”
He was on his farewell tour. I think we're in Houston. The [talk] in the locker room was, “Do not get on a Kobe Bryant highlight film. Don't go out there and try to do some extra shit and get crossed over, looking crazy.” We laughed about it.
It was a half-court set. Kobe gets it, goes baseline, and Clint Capella jumps. Kobe dunks all on him. Timeout comes and everybody looks at Clint like, “We told you man, stop trying to do all that shit. Now look, you're gonna be on a Kobe Bryant highlight for the rest of your career.”
I think we were in the eighth seed and the Lakers were playing Utah for his final game. If Utah lost, we’d be in the playoffs, some shit like that. We hit James Harden like, “Yo, call and tell him we need this game.” I don’t know if he called or not—I don’t think so. But the Lakers won, and he had 60 on his way out. He was in a league of his own. It was an honor to stand on the floor with him.
Tarik Black (Center, Los Angeles Lakers)
He struggled at the start [of his final game]. I felt bad, looking at other guys like, “Dang, OG, not like this.” I remember OG was on the block. He went baseline, jumped, clutched, and shot it over Jeff Withey, I think. If you hoop, you know the difficulty of a shot like that. When he hit that, I was like, “That's it!” That's a tough bucket. That was his first two points. From there, it kept rolling. In the second half, he hit this tough double-clutch floater. Those kinds of buckets showed you he was locked in. That's Mamba right there.
If you rewatch that game, you’ll see Julius, Larry, and myself setting super-hard screens and really getting after it, because we wanted to send OG off the right way. We wanted his last game to be what it became: historic. We got a chance to experience that Kobe having a high-level moment.
After the game, I remember the anticipation of him coming into the locker room. It was taking a long time. We were all sitting there with champagne, like, come on. The conversation was, “Will he be pissed at us? Like, ‘What y'all doing? We didn't win a championship.’” He had that kind of personality.
I think it was D'Angelo [Russell] who said, “I don’t care; this is a big moment.” Kind of easing the room, like, forget that. It doesn't matter how he's gonna feel about it. We are doing this.” And then seeing OG’s response—he actually relished that moment with us. It was like, “Thank you for giving us this moment instead of shutting down.” He took a moment in his chair, took a deep breath, like, this is my last time leaving this locker room. This is my last one.
Tony Allen (Wing, Memphis Grizzlies)
Final Game vs. Kobe: March 22, 2016, Lakers 107 Grizzlies 100
Kobe’s Statline: 20 PTS (7-18) 2 REB 1 AST
Allen’s Statline: 27 PTS (12-12) 4 REB 1 AST
I had that last game [against Kobe] circled on the calendar. I remember getting up at the W Hotel. We were in traffic for a long-ass time. I ended up being late for my shootaround. You get 90 minutes to get ready and I was off-track. But when I got to the game, I felt so good. I showed up, man. I [shot] 12-for-12. As I was scoring, Kobe told my teammate Zach Randolph, “Hey, Z-Bo, if he was shooting that motherfucker like that in 2010, maybe [the Celtics] would’ve won." He ain't say that to me though, because he knew I was gunning for his ass. [Ed’s Note: Allen was a member of the 2009-10 Boston Celtics team that lost to the Lakers in the NBA Finals.]
I could count on my hands how many times we actually had a conversation. To me, it was more like a respect thing. He said he was a mamba; I’m a cobra on the defensive end. I put so much energy into trying to stop him night in, night out. The team always told me it would be on me—if I don't get these stops, we don't have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning.
We lost that game, but I was looking for that moment for the longest. It was my turn to goddamn win at least one matchup. I was gassed up. After the game, I tried to get his jersey and he said, “I got something better for you.” Right before I got on the bus, he sent some autographed shoes to the locker room that said: the toughest player I ever faced. Then, he doubled down and said it in an interview. It caught me by surprise. I ain't gonna lie, I was blushing a little bit. I thought I lost every battle against that motherfucker. I was really causing havoc or making him work. That dude acknowledged me, so that means he got respect for me. It was an honor to be even in the same sentence with somebody that goated.
JR Smith (Wing, Cleveland Cavaliers)
Final Game vs. Kobe: March 10, 2016 Cavaliers 120 Lakers 108
Kobe’s Statline: 25 PTS (11-16) 5 REB 2 AST
Smith’s Statline: 17 PTS (5-10) 2 REB 2 AST
The toughest part about playing Kobe was that you could never relax. He was always in kill mode, always wanted the ball, and always had a green light. Not only did he have the drive and work ethic, but he had the talent to go with it. I've watched guys work themselves into being a pro. But at some point, their level can't go any higher. I’ve never seen that in Kobe. I've never seen him not go to another level. I'm just like, damn, this motherfucker is good, dog. I'm the same size as him, same weight. I would say, I’m as talented and gifted, but his mental focus and the way he locked in was so far beyond me, there's no way I could keep up.
We had some battles when I was in Denver. He was just so mean and fierce. He was trying to kill me and take my head off every chance he got, which I respected because I was trying to do the same thing to him within the context of the game.
He didn't have as much lift that final season but he was so much stronger. I felt like his grown man strength really kicked in at a later age. He was always strong, but his lift and his explosiveness was what took his game to another level as far as him getting to certain spots and being able to elevate and rise over the top of people. Once he couldn't do that, it made it tougher for him to score, but he could still score because he was an assassin.
The last time we played in L.A., Kobe was guarding Bron like it was Game 7 of the Finals. He was so competitive and fierce every time he stepped on the court. It was incredible to see that in his last year. When they came to Cleveland, he was kind of chitchatting the whole game. He wasn't one of those dudes who wanted to talk to opponents. Never on the court. But this was kind of eerie because he was a completely different person. He was so happy, just happy to be on the court. It was just like, "Damn, this motherfucker. . . " And then to see him so happy and at peace with the game and just friendly and talking and laughing, it was kind of weird.
He came to our locker room after the game and gave Bron his last game worn shoes in Cleveland. I thought that was pretty dope. And we sat and chopped it up in the locker room with him for a good 20 minutes. And it was crazy to see because he was my version of Mike. He was the guy who won the most. It was almost like watching MJ retire as a kid. But now I'm a grown man and I get to see it in person. I'm actually a part of it in the locker room! It was surreal.
Evan Turner (Wing, Boston Celtics)
Final Game vs. Kobe: April 3, 2016 Celtics 107 Lakers 100
Kobe’s Statline: 34 PTS (11-28) 4 REB 1 AST
Turner’s Statline: 17 PTS (7-12) 4 REB 4 AST
When I was in college, I was sitting in my room and I got a random email, like, “Hey, what's up? This is Kobe. Big fan of yours. Hope you're doing well. Keep doing your thing. KB24.” This is 2010—my first real interaction with Kobe. I remember dropping my phone, like, yo!
I would text him here and there. He gave me some real good game about the NCAA tournament and getting ready for the pre-draft. I was like, I’m making 500 shots a day, is that enough? He's like, he used to make a thousand. And I'm like, shit! I'm tired.
I was kind of up and down my rookie year. I don't know how Kobe was with anybody else—and I don't want to act like I'm special—but he always found me and gave me the same energy. “How's your mom doing? How are you? You okay?” He always treated me well and made me feel better. It kept me going.
It was cool to see him show personality in his last season, like a victory lap around the track. He started to enjoy himself with the media more. He’d always talk on the court, but you could tell he was taking in the surroundings even more and being present. He was enjoying that last go-round.
My last time playing him in L.A., he went on a run where he was giving Jae [Crowder] a little bit of a problem. Then I was trying to guard him. He gave me 10-12 [points] straight—you couldn't even stop it. I'm like, “Oh, my gosh, Kobe is killing me like it’s ’98.” That was the best thing ever. My best friend was in the stands. After the game, he said, “Bro, Kobe giving you that vintage work was like a gift to you.” When I looked back on it, it was like, Damn, this is what I dreamt of.
When we got to the locker room, Kobe sent over like 20 pairs of signed sneakers for our whole team. Everybody wanted one last Kobe shoe. To see that many grown men smiling over some sneakers, you would’ve thought it was Christmas. Everybody was so jittery. It was like the Kobe effect, like a superhero.
Langston Galloway (Wing, New York Knicks)
Final Game vs. Kobe: March 13, 2016 Knicks 100 Lakers 97
Kobe’s Statline: 14 PTS (5-15) 2 REB 0 AST
Galloway’s Statline: 9 PTS (3-5) 3 REB 2 AST
There were some rumblings about Kobe retiring whe we played them at the Garden. [Ed’s Note: This game took place on November 8th, 2015. Three weeks before Bryant announced his retirement in a poem titled “Dear Basketball.”]
Before the game, Melo was telling me, "Look, I'm going to guard him the whole game. I got him." And so it was a really competitive game. I ended up hitting a big shot towards the end. I played well, had a really good game. I was so excited to play well against one of my idols. You really want to showcase who you are. That Mamba Mentality is everything he stands for.
We played him later in the season in Los Angeles. It was a frenzy after the game.
Kobe signed my shoes after the game, I want to say they were the 11s—a customized pair in Knicks colors. I still have them to this day.
Everybody wanted to get something signed by Kobe and it became a pride thing. A lot of guys were like, "Hey, look, I'm not about to just walk up to another man and ask me for a signature." But I took my pride out of it. I looked up to my whole life. He was teaching my generation. And so I literally went up to the locker room, to their locker room, and Iasked, "Yo, is Kobe going already or is he still here?" And they're like, "Yeah, he's still here. He's going to take some time." I was like, "Look, I would love for him to sign this for me. I'm going to stay right here. I'm not going to go anywhere." And I literally just stood there for 10 to 20 minutes. I waited until he came out.
He was grateful for me for even doing that. He was just like, "Keep going, young fella. Good luck with your career.” It was a special moment for me.
Festus Ezeli (Center, Golden State Warriors)
Final Game vs. Kobe: January 14, 2016 Warriors 116 Lakers 98
Kobe’s Statline: 8 PTS (4-15) 6 REB 3 AST
Ezeli’s Statline: 8 PTS (3-4) 7 REB 0 AST
Kobe tore his Achilles against us [in 2013]. I had never seen somebody come back from an Achilles [injury]. I thought after that, you can't walk—your career is over. When he came back, it was crazy that he was still so athletic at that age. His ability to fight through pain is probably the best I've ever seen.
Kobe loved contact. He was physical. You know him from taking and hitting big shots, but he did all the little things. He'd box you out, hit you. He was still out there guarding people. That last year, I remember him yelling at his teammates for blowing a coverage. He called out a lob to me. We still got the play, and he was like, “[Goddamn] it.” It didn't matter that their team wasn't good. He was always trying to hold himself and his team to a high standard.
The last game of Kobe's career was the same night the Warriors were going for 73 wins—the most in NBA history. We broke the [‘96 Chicago Bulls’] record and after the postgame interviews, we ran to the locker room to see what Kobe did. I remember asking some video guys what Kobe got, and they said 60. We thought they were messing with us. Who goes out like that?
Chandler Parsons (Wing, Dallas Mavericks)
Final Game vs. Kobe: November 13, 2015 Mavericks 90 Lakers 82
Kobe’s Statline: 19 PTS (7-15) 5 REB 3 AST
Parsons’ Statline: 9 PTS (4-6) 3 REB 0 AST
We shared the same osteopath, so I developed a great relationship with him. The attention to detail he had and just the passion and how hard he worked out was just different than everyone else. Kobe's the kind of guy you were always mesmerized with every time you were on the court together. And I knew him personally! I had his phone number! But when you see him, you still are like, ‘Holy shit, that's Kobe Bryant.’
I loved the tour. I love that he got the whole farewell thing and got to go to every single city and be appreciated and respected the way he deserved. I remember a play where Dirk hit his patented little fadeaway at the end of the game near their bench and Kobe slapped him on the butt. I don't think Kobe was playing that game. That moment was so sick. It was the definition of game recognize game. [Ed’s Note: January 26, 2016. Dirk Nowitzki hit a game-winning 13-foot fadeaway over Julius Randle with 2 seconds remaining.]
My co-host on my show, Lou Will, was actually on that Lakers team. He said that Kobe called his shot in his final game. [Kobe] said, "I'm going nuts tonight. I'm going to go crazy and score as many points as possible." And it was like an assignment that that team had understood. They knew that he was going to leave it all out there and go nuts. But that's how he always was.
Terrence Ross (Wing, Toronto Raptors)
Final Game vs. Kobe: December 7, 2015, Raptors 102 Lakers 93
Kobe’s Statline: 21 PTS (8-16) 8 REB 4 AST
Ross’ Statline: 22 PTS (8-12) 6 REB 0 AST
I grew up in Southern California, so my whole childhood was watching Kobe go from rookie to superstar. I was there for the three-peat. Kobe was my idol growing up. He might be the only player I've ever felt starstruck around, man.
The Lakers were always my team so I was very excited to be in LA to play against him during my rookie year [in 2013]. We're warming up before the game. For whatever reason, Kyle [Lowry] let me be the team captain that day. I'm standing in the jump ball circle talking with the refs about the rules and the game ball and all that. There’s no Laker representative though. And out of the corner of my eye, I see Kobe sitting at the end of the bench taking off his knee wraps. He starts making his way to the jump ball circle. And that's when I felt shell shocked, a little star struck. I'm still a rookie.
He called me T. Ross. For him to know my nickname shocked me. The only people calling me T. Ross at that time were my close friends and family. So him calling me that... I don't know. I was just starstruck for a little bit. I just felt like a glaze. I shook his hand. I said, "What's up?" And picked the game ball and that was it. But that was the most special moment of my career because I was such a Kobe fan growing up. But I didn't get to play. My very first time in LA going against Kobe, I didn't even get to play.
Being in the league during his retirement year [in 2015-16] was wild. The amount of stress he put on his body, you could really see it just in the way he was moving. He still had some dunks that season, I think, but a lot of what he did came off of his knowledge of the game—the footwork and everything. You could see how he relied on different aspects of his game.
When he came to town, it was like he brought all of L.A. with him. It was a real Kobe tour. Everybody showed love. After the game, I got to tell Kobe what he meant. I was able to tell him thank you. That’s the one thing I did, bro. I just told him thank you and thank you for advancing the game the way he did. He just slapped my chest and was like, "Thank you, man. It means a lot." Typical Kobe thing, man. He was my guy. I'll never forget that moment.
Carmelo Anthony (Small Forward, New York Knicks)
Final Game vs. Kobe: March 13, 2016 Knicks 100 Lakers 97
Kobe’s Statline: 14 PTS (5-15) 2 REB 0 AST
Anthony’s Statline: 26 PTS (10-20) 12 REB 4 AST
During that year, prior to him announcing his retirement and throughout it, you just felt a sense of relief off of his shoulders.There was a difference in his demeanor. He was so at peace at that moment. I remember those games. He was still Kobe, but he was so at peace. He was smiling. He was happy. He felt like, Okay, this is it. I'm going to enjoy the rest of these moments because I've put so much into my career, to basketball, that I rarely had an opportunity to enjoy these moments.
He deserved [the farewell tour]. Whether he wanted it or not, he was going to get it. He deserved it. He is who he is. It's only one Kobe.
