Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant called it a career after 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers back in April of 2016. Following his incredible 60-point finale against the Utah Jazz, many began to debate about his legacy and when the time came which jersey number would be retired by the iconic franchise.
Apparently, the Lakers will not only retired No. 8 but also No. 24, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
Update. BOTH of Kobe's numbers will be retired.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) September 12, 2017
Bryant began his career with the Lakers sporting the No. 8 jersey and won three straight titles playing alongside fellow superstar Shaquille O'Neal during that time.
After the departure of Shaq and a desire to reinvent himself, Bryant chose to change things up ahead of the 2006-07 NBA season by switching to No. 24. Although it took a couple of seasons to get the Lakers back on top, Bryant helped led the purple and gold to two more championships with No. 24 on his chest and finished out his Hall of Fame-caliber career with that number.
The Lakers have yet to make it official, but Bryant's jersey numbers will reportedly to be retired ahead of the team's matchup with the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 18 during the upcoming season.
Bryant will be the first player in the franchise's history to have his jersey retired by the team before making the Hall of Fame. As arguably one of the greatest players to ever play the game, Bryant is a virtual lock to be enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame along with many other Lakers great like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaq.
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