Kobe Bryant scores 60 points in storybook farewell victory

Kobe Bryant went out with a Hollywood ending to his remarkable career.

Bryant scored 60 points in his final game Wednesday night, wrapping up 20 years in the NBA with an unbelievable offensive showcase in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 101-96 victory over the Utah Jazz.

He scored 23 points in the fourth quarter, posting his first 50-point game since February 2009 and rallying the Lakers from a 15-point deficit to win the final game of the worst season in franchise history.

Kobe Bryant’s farewell appearance as a professional basketball player featured everything that was glorious (and maddening) about No24

“It’s hard to believe it happened this way,” Bryant said. “I’m still shocked about it.”

With the entire Staples Center crowd standing, Bryant drained a 3-pointer with 59 seconds left. He hit another with 31 seconds to play, putting the Lakers ahead 97-96. He finished with an assist before checking out for good with 4.1 seconds left in just the Lakers’ 17th win.

“The perfect ending would have been a championship,” Bryant said with a smile. “But tonight was (me) trying to go out, play hard and try to put on a show as much as I possibly could. It felt good to be able to do that one last time.”

Bryant and his teammates conspired for one last omnivorous scoring performance by the third-leading scorer in NBA history.

Bryant played 42 minutes and took a career-high 50 shots, his teammates attempting to set him up for points on nearly every possession. He also had four assists and four rebounds in his highest-scoring performance since getting 61 against New York in 2009.

Kobe came up with the fifth highest-scoring game of his career. He became the oldest player to score 50 points in an NBA game.

It was one last classic from the Black Mamba.

“It just didn’t surprise me, the way he would go out,” said Lakers coach Byron Scott, Bryant’s teammate in his rookie season. “Sixty points wasn’t a surprise. I knew he had it in him.”

The entire night was a tribute to Bryant, who is retiring after 20 seasons, five championship rings and 18 All-Star selections with the Lakers, who honored him before and after the game. Bryant is just the fifth player in NBA history to play 20 seasons, and the first with just one team.

Bryant briefly addressed the crowd after the game, expressing thanks for the fans’ support.
“I think the most important part is that we all stayed together throughout,” Bryant said. “You’ll always be in my heart, and I sincerely, sincerely appreciate it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you guys.”

He also had a few laughs after finishing his 1,346th regular-season game with 33,643 career points.
“The thing that had me cracking up all night long is, I go through 20 years of everybody screaming to pass the ball,” Bryant said with a grin. “And then the last night, they’re like, ‘Don’t pass it!’”
Bryant surpassed his previous career high of 47 shots, taken in a loss to Boston on 7 November 2002.
“Mamba out!” Bryant said with his final words to the fans.

It was daylong tribute with thousands of fans thronging the downtown streets around Staples Center and chanting his name from early afternoon. Fans lucky enough to get inside Staples Center greeted him with ovations at every opportunity. Magic Johnson anchored a brief pregame tribute by calling Bryant “the biggest and greatest celebrity we’ve had in this town for 20 years” and “the greatest to wear the purple and gold.”

After blowing kisses and pounding his heart before the game, Bryant got right to work on what the fans wanted to see. But he missed his first five shots before pump-faking and finally connecting on a jumper.

Stephen Curry’s 46 points lift Warriors to record-breaking win over Grizzlies before delirious Oracle Arena crowd

Bryant found a rhythm then, finishing the first quarter with 15 points on 13 shots. He kept it up after sitting out the first six minutes of the second, finishing with 22 points despite missing a last-minute shot, his 20th of the first half.

The Lakers snapped a six-game skid in their final outing, but their demanding fans could forget about the awful season for one night.

Trey Lyles scored 18 points and Gordon Hayward had 17 for the Jazz, who were eliminated from playoff contention shortly before tipoff by Houston’s win over the Sacramento Kings. The Jazz played defense, but Bryant’s persistence wore them down.

Kobe Bryant Overshadows Golden State Warriors' Historic Night

A Golden State Warriors fan holds up a sign during Thursday night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP

Mamba out.

In the final game of his storied career, Kobe Bryant scored 60 points and even managed to overshadow the Golden State Warriors as they became the greatest team in NBA history.
As the former MVP had a sendoff for the ages — including a 3-pointer that gave his L.A. Lakers the lead over the Utah Jazz with 59 seconds left to play — the Warriors eclipsed the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls by winning their 73rd game of the season. Stephen Curry scored 46 points in three quarters during Wednesday night's triumph over the Memphis Grizzlies.

It was the sixth 60-point game of Kobe's career.

"It's hard to believe that it happened this way," the 5-time NBA champion told reporters after the game.

However, it was Kobe's farewell performance for the last-place Lakers that triggered the sort of social-media meltdown that the seemingly unstoppable Warriors would've normally expected for themselves.

Here's a roundup of tweets from after Kobe stepped off the court for the last time — and the Warriors made history.

Scottie Pippen, who starred alongside Michael Jordan on the 1995-96 Bulls, said earlier this month that he thought that team would sweep the Warriors.

Pippen wasn't alone.

Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield — a college hoops star who was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks — admitted he had been torn about which of Wednesday's games to watch.

Other pro athletes and celebrities also paid tribute to Kobe.

The Bulls were magnanimous after one of their records was removed from the history books.