Kobe’s Finale: A Career In 42 minutes

For 42 exhilarating, exhausting minutes, the basketball world was reminded just what it will be missing now that Kobe Bryant is done for good.

Entering the night, few expected much from the regular season finale between the worst Lakers team in history and a Utah Jazz club that had just missed the postseason. Given second billing to the Warriors chase for 73, the game was supposed to be a chance to say goodbye to a legend, sure, but mostly just pageantry and bad basketball. Instead, 37 year old Kobe Bryant would add to his legacy while reminding fans of the ups and downs of his 20 year career.

The game began without any hint of what was to come as Kobe missed his first 5 shots and it looked as though his final game would be just a continuation of one of his worst years as a pro. Then, a brief glimpse of Kobe past: a 2 minute stretch where Bryant scored 12 points on 5 straight makes, kicked off by a strong block on the defensive end.

When Kobe took his planned 2nd quarter rest, there was a sense of contentment. It may have been brief, but Kobe had given the fans a burst to remember the many times when, struggling through a bad shooting night, he could will himself into rhythm.

When he returned, Kobe conjured up a much different memory. Reminiscent of the post-Shaq, Pre-Pau dark days of his prime, Bryant tried to make up for a lack of help by doing it all himself. The Lakers kept slipping as memories resurfaced of frustration at the Mamba calling his own number at the expense of his teammates’ rhythm.

The third quarter was reminiscent of the many times Kobe would take an extremely difficult shot and fans would cringe, only to see the shot fall. The Lakers chipped away at the lead while Bryant’s scoring numbers climbed in a way unique to the best players in the world, almost imperceptibly. A fitting representation of the day in, day out of Kobe’s career, finding ways to score through injury, fatigue, and off nights, while making it all look easy.

To cap off this trip down memory lane, Kobe’s last ever quarter was a tribute to the countless games taken over, controlled, dominated. As the NBA world watched on in disbelief at Kobe’s ever-climbing point total, something else was happening that was just as familiar. The Lakers were coming back. Kobe is recognized as the ultimate competitor, and while his fans may have been content watching a scoring barrage to remind them of times when he seemingly could not miss, the man himself could never stomach losing.

The lasting memory of Kobe’s final quarter should be the feeling of inevitability. At 37 years old, Bryant had played the entire second half, could not muster the lift to dunk on a couple drives, and could be seen exhausted on the bench during time outs, barely moving or saying a word. Laker fans grew to recognize the look he had on the bench, though. Kobe’s focus is unmatched, and regardless of the circumstance, winning becomes inevitable. Every shot he takes is almost destined to fall. His teammates, energized by his intensity and the gravity of the moment, tighten on defense. The result is a 17–2 run in the final 3 minutes. Kobe scores 15 straight on an array of patented shots. He hits a late go-ahead shot and it all comes flooding back: The 5 championships, the 36 game winning shots, the thousands of turnaround jumpers, the fist pumps, the jaw juts, Brandi at the dunk contest, everything.

After amassing a farewell game record 60 points was the final play of Kobe’s career: A full court heave, dripping in symbolism, to Jordan Clarkson for the game-icing dunk. The passing of the torch to cap the showcase of everything Kobe Bryant has been for the past two decades. Mamba out.