It was a love fest all season long when Kobe Bryant played his final game in each arena, but no game was bigger or more exciting than his last time suiting up as a Los Angeles Laker at Staples Center. He miraculously scored 60 points in a win against the Utah Jazz.
Up to that point, the Houston Rockets and Jazz were in a battle for the 8th seed in the Western Conference. According to Justin Termine of Sirius XMNBA radio, Kobe had some encouraging words for former teammate Trevor Ariza before his final game:
Ariza told us on @SiriusXMNBA that Kobe told him prior to last game of yr to not worry about Rox getting into playoffs bc he'd take of Jazz.
— Justin Termine (@TermineRadio) July 21, 2016
The Lakers ended up beating the Jazz by a score of 101-96, but Rockets had already clinched the playoff berth with a victory earlier in the night.
There is nothing more Kobe-like than making a guarantee to a friend, and then living up to that promise by scoring 60 points. The Rockets were eventually bumped out of the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors, but Kobe's message to Ariza just adds to the legend of his final game.
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