The Mamba Slithers Away

Kobe Bryant is a legend. This much has been clear for at least a decade.

But “legends” come in levels. And in his final game on Wednesday, he reminded the world that he was right on that top level.

Kobe Bryant is such a legend that he can shoot the ball 50 times without making anybody mad.

Kobe Bryant is such a legend that he can name himself after a predatory snake and everyone will just go along with it.

Kobe Bryant is such a legend that he can successfully create space with nothing but jab steps and shot fakes, even when his defender and everyone in the building knows he’s trying to create space with nothing but jab steps and shot fakes.

And then he makes the shot. And another, seconds later. And another, seconds later.

He’s done this for 20 years, in a career that included five NBA titles, two Finals MVPs, and a list of accolades that reads longer than War and Peace. He’s one of the 10 best players ever to step on a court—where he slots is up to you—and has inspired countless fans with his countless moments of glory.

Wednesday night’s game was peak Kobe. He took shot after shot after shot after shot, and kept his team in the game almost by himself. It was a performance that almost justified those ridiculous ticket prices.

The Lakers were losing, because the Lakers are bad. They entered this game 16-65, limping to the finish line after a train wreck of a season. They trailed the Jazz by 9 points with under four minutes to play. The cute little Kobe send-off was coming to a close.

But then Kobe went off one last time. He scored 17 consecutive Laker points, which brought his total from 43 to 60. In the middle of this spurt was a 26-footer that cut the lead to one, followed immediately by a 20-foot fadeaway for the lead.

With 30 seconds to play and the Jazz clinging to that one-point advantage, Kobe Bryant had the ball. Then, for the 50th time in the game, he shot it. And for the 22nd time, he nailed it.

97-96. The Lakers went on to win. Kobe made it happen. Because of course.

Sports are entertainment. And Kobe entertained us for 20 years. There were people who loved how he went about his business, and there were people who hated it. But behind that hate was a layer of respect, to which everything gave way at some point during this performance.

60 points on 50 shots. It was a sendoff performance befitting only of Kobe Bryant. Peyton Manning left as a champ, but his last flash of greatness was long before his final game. Same for Tom Watson, who at 65 missed the cut in his final British Open and Masters appearances. Derek Jeter came close with his walk-off single in his final home game, but he played three more relatively underwhelming games as an encore. Only Kobe could walk away like this.

He’ll probably focus on his business next, but I wouldn’t mind if he took up poetry. His Players’ Tribune piece was thoughtful and a very interesting read. But we both know he’ll always be that kid with the rolled-up socks and the garbage can in the corner.

3.

2.

Shoot.

1.

“Kobe!”

Buzzer.

Swish.