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The Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday afternoon announced that Kobe Bryant will have both of his jerseys retired this upcoming season on Dec. 18 against the Golden State Warriors.
The 39-year-old has issued a response to the prestigious honor that the Lakers are set to bestow upon him in the next few months.
Kobe: “As a kid growing up in Italy, I always dreamed of my jersey hanging in the Lakers rafters, but I certainly never imagined 2 of them.“ https://t.co/SaQuKkkJfT
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) September 12, 2017
Kobe: “The Lakers have bestowed a huge honor on me and I’m grateful for the fans’ enthusiasm around this game.” https://t.co/SaQuKkkJfT
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) September 12, 2017
It is quite a deserving honor given what Bryant accomplished over his 20-year NBA career all spent with the Lakers in both uniforms. In the No. 8 jersey he scored 16,866 points while winning three NBA titles, five Pacific division titles, and earning eight All-Star Game selections. Meanwhile, he had similar success in the No. 24 uniform scoring 16,717 points with two NBA titles, two NBA Finals MVP awards, four Pacific division titles and nine All-Star Game nods.
Bryant is also the franchise's all-time leader in points (33,643), three-pointers made (1,827), steals (1,944) along with playoff records for games played (220), points (5,640), and three-pointers made (292).
Bryant is set to become only the 10th player in team history to have his jersey retired joining the likes of Wilt Chamberlain (13), Elgin Baylor (22), Gail Goodrich (25), Magic Johnson (32), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33), Shaquille O'Neal (34), James Worthy (42), Jerry West (44) and Jamaal Wilkes (52).
