So it’s all over. If you missed it, you must have been hiding under a rock because it was everywhere you looked.
Kobe Bryant, the most effective and explosive offensive player of the last 15 years retired today from the NBA and went out in style.
In his last game against the Utah Jazz he jacked up 50 shot attempts, scored 60 points and led a stirring last quarter comeback that makes you wonder ‘why did you retire’?
We know his body had quit on him, so in his final season he orchestrated his personality perfectly as he went from pathologically unlikable assassin to smiling, almost friendly competitor lapping up the adulation from all corners.
Make no mistake, he manipulated this situation down to the last detail and why shouldn’t he have done so? He had his faults and flaws, not the least of which is the fact he went on for far too long in an egocentric manner in what is a team sport.
But the guy is an absolute legend of the sport and an all-time top player who deserves to go out on his terms when it is all said and done.
Some players choose to ride off into the sunset slowly and silently, choosing to slip out the back door – but that’s not Kobe. He barged out the front door, past the crowds. He loved the big lights and the grand stage offered by Los Angeles and why not? It’s who he is.
He based himself and his game on MJ, down to his mannerisms and free throw technique and spent a career with a scowl on his face but time and time again he delivered for his team.
His last season was fabricated and manipulated but boy was it entertaining. Second best shooting guard in history, a five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, NBA MVP and so on.
You could list his achievements and fill the pages but the fact remained he was a winner who did anything he could to secure victory for his team.
While his last season turned into a sideshow, likely orchestrated by the man himself, when it came to a crescendo he did exactly what he almost always did – find a way to get his team the win.
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