By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In the last game of his glorious career, finally vintage Kobe Bryant was back on the floor, scoring 60 points and leading the Lakers to the win.
The Los Angeles Lakers icon took the microphone after a masterpiece performance in his final NBA game, and, standing at midcourt, Bryant addressed a sold-out Staples Center crowd that was on its feet.
“Man!” Bryant said after scoring 60 points in a 101-96 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday to close out his storied 20-season NBA career, all with the Lakers.
“You know, I can’t believe how fast 20 years went by. This is crazy. This is absolutely crazy.”
Bryant gave the fans quite a show for his curtain call. He scored his most points since Feb. 2, 2009, when he scored 61 points against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
It was the sixth time the five-time champion has scored 60 or more points in an NBA game, this time setting a career-high for field-goal attempts, surpassing his previous high of 47 in a 2002 overtime loss to the Celtics in Boston.
He scored 15 of his team’s final 17 points, including a go-ahead jumper with 31.6 seconds left. And with 14 seconds left, like Michael Jordan, Bryant’s final two career points came at the free throw line.