His final play was a pass.
On the same night he set the record for most field goal attempts in a game, he flung the ball full court to a wide-open teammate for the easy bucket before the buzzer sounded. And, just like that, it was over. (Well, I guess when he told the Staples Center crowd “Mamba out,” that’s when it was over).
Kobe Bryant’s farewell tour came to a close Wednesday night, drawing a 20-year career to a close in the most anticipated game a 17-win team will ever have. And Kobe, as aware of the moment as any athlete we’ve ever seen, made sure he didn’t disappoint.
60 points. It’s the most by a player this season and, by far, the most of any player in their final game. The craziest part might be that the Lakers needed every one of them, as Bryant lifted them to a come-from-behind victory over the Utah Jazz.
From the tip Bryant treated us to a signature performance. He chucked the ball like it was engulfed in flames, sulked and barked at teammates while the home crowd fawned over his every move. And it was perfect, a happy ending to a wildly awkward final season for the NBA’s third all-time leading scorer.
The Lakers’ concurrent rebuild all but guaranteed Bryant would be playing his final season on a losing team. We knew that before they played a single game. And, frankly, it tinted his farewell tour, which at times hung over the club like a storm. Bryant soaked up valuable minutes from the next generation of potential Laker stars, who throughout the season hinted at their displeasure over continually having to defer instead of develop.
“It was a weird year,” Bryant said when asked about his teammates’ reactions after the game. “You go from being the villain to some kind of hero, from everybody telling you to pass the ball to them telling you to shoot it.”
Not that he really needed much encouragement.
At one point late in the third quarter, as the Lakers had brought the game within five, Kobe had 35 points on 31 shots. It was, in a word, hilarious. Crazy as it sounded, 50 field goal attempts was legitimately in play.
Later, with 30 seconds left in the game, he took his 50th shot, fittingly passing Michael Jordan’s record of 49 (Bryant now holds five of the top six spots on the list of most FGA in a single game). That same 50th shot put Los Angeles up by one, and a pair of free throws would bring his total to 60 and seal the win.
60 points! On 22-for-FIFTY shooting — including 6-of-21 from deep! What a way to walk away.
But it wasn’t quite the Hollywood ending Bryant had written for himself and played out in his mind over and over. “The perfect ending,” he said, “would have been a championship.”
Lofty, sure, but not unreasonable. After all, there’s a long list of iconic athletes who ended their careers on the highest note possible — it seems like just the other day Peyton Manning walked away from football after winning the Super Bowl. That wasn’t going to happen, and Kobe knew it. He didn’t walk away with a ring, but this’ll do just fine.
On a night when, just up the California coast, a team broke a seemingly unbreakable record, it was Kobe Bryant who stole the show one last time.
While we’re here, let’s take a look at how Kobe’s swan song stacks up with some of the other most memorable finales in sports:
Rocky Marciano, Sept. 21, 1955
In his final fight, Marciano knocked out Archie Moore, finishing his career a perfect 49-0.
Ken Dryden, May 21, 1979
The 31 year-old Canadiens star stopped all but one shot sent his way as Montreal won their fourth straight Stanley Cup. It was the final game of Dryden’s Hall-of-Fame career.
John Elway, Jan. 31, 1999
The 38-year-old threw for 336 yards (62 per cent completion rate) to go along with two touchdowns (one rushing) as the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 33, their second of back-to-back SB victories.
Michael Jordan, the first two times
In Game 6 of the NBA Finals in 1993, Jordan posted 33 points, nine boards and eight assists as the Bulls won the championship. Soon after he announced his shocking retirement to pursue a pro baseball career. Then, in the ’98 Finals Jordan hit the most famous shot in basketball history, sealing the Bulls’ sixth title before hanging up his sneakers once again.
Peyton Manning, Feb. 7 2016/Jerome Bettis, Feb. 5, 2006
Two Hall of Famers who walked away after winning it all. Neither had a particularly memorable performance in their final games — Manning, arguably the best QB to ever play, threw for less than 150 years while Bettis, the NFL’s sixth all-time leading rusher, managed a modest 43 yards on 14 carries — but there’s something to be said for going out on top.
Magic Johnson at the All-Star Game
Johnson, who gave a speech in Bryant’s honour before tip-off Wednesday night, gave one of the most memorable performances in sports at the All-Star Game in 1992. After the HIV virus forced the Lakers legend into retirement at the beginning of the ’91-92 season, the fans voted him into the All-Star Game, where he returned and was named MVP.
Like Kobe’s last NBA appearance, the outcome of the game meant nothing. And, like Kobe, it was Magic’s final chance to show the world what he was put on this earth to do. (Yes, Magic appeared in a number of games with the Lakers four years later, but this moment was too good to let facts get in the way.)