Stats in Final NBA Appearance: 60 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
The Los Angeles Lakers were not making the 2016 NBA Playoffs. Neither were the Utah Jazz.
Entering the final game of the regular season, Utah—the franchise that famously embarrassed Bryant in his first postseason appearance as a teenager—needed to beat the Lakers to finish .500 for a chance at the No. 8 seed. As alluded, the man who once wore No. 8 had other plans.
Playing his final game in front of Jack Nicholson, Jay-Z, Ye, Snoop Dogg, Shaq, David Beckham, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, his wife, and his kids, Kobe put on a curtain call for the ages, scoring 60 points and sending the Jazz to Cancun.
Running on fumes, the 37-year-old icon played 42 minutes and shot the ball 50 times. On his feet were thematic Stance socks—then the league’s provider—and “Fade to Black” Nike Kobe 11 Elite Lows.
The Black/Gold Kobes were worn across the league that night by grown-man Mamba fanatics like Paul George, Khris Middleton, Andre Iguodala, and more. It was the rare pairing of footwear and performance that not only met the moment it was meant to immortalize, but it also exceeded it.
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