Four years ago to this day was the final time we would witness Kobe Bryant in a Lakers uniform. The game itself held little importance to the season standings, but what the world witnessed was one final reminder of why he was one of a kind.
To say that Kobe’s last game was must-see is an understatement. The moment he announced his retirement at the conclusion of the season, the price of entry the Laker’s final home game skyrocketed. In the end, it cost more on average to watch his final game than it did to watch the Lakers win their 16th title.
Avg. ticket price for Kobe’s final game crushing his Game 7 vs. Celtics 👀 pic.twitter.com/UAatMOQCy2
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 8, 2016
Still, for anyone who could afford the tickets, this was something you did not want to miss.
The Game Recap
The 2016 Lakers squad was by no means a top contender and very few people expected them to beat an upstart Utah team that was fighting for the final seed in the west. This seemed to be the case for most of the game, as the Lakers found themselves down by 15 at the half with no signs of a major comeback. Little did we know that Kobe would soon have something to say about that.
In the second half, he could do no wrong. We saw Kobe hit clutch shot after clutch shot to help bring the Lakers back before ultimately hitting the go-ahead basket with 31.6 seconds left in his career.
https://twitter.com/DesignatedRep/status/1249736012835651590
And the rest, as they say, was history.
The Lakers won their 17th game of the season, but you would’ve thought that they just won the title by the way Staples Center erupted. The night was going to be special regardless, but Kobe left us with one final masterpiece to remember.
The world will never see another quite like Kobe Bryant, and that’s the way it should be. He was one of a kind, and we were lucky enough to see him in a Lakers uniform for 20 amazing years. He did the impossible so many times that we were certain he couldn’t possibly do it again on his final game. Leave it to Kobe to save his best for last.
"Mamba out!"
Kobe delivered the perfect sign off after scoring 60 in his last game. pic.twitter.com/luRytDy1Qn
— ESPN (@espn) April 13, 2020
