Memories of Mamba: Kobe Bryant’s Last NBA Game

April 13, 2016 is Kobe Bryant‘s last NBA game. The Kobe tour has been both thrilling and frustrating. It almost seemed like destiny – or poetic justice – that Kobe would go out on a Lakers‘ team that hasn’t sniffed the playoffs in years and currently lives in the bottom echelon of the L with 16 wins on the season.

The 5 time NBA champion, two time NBA finals MVP, 18 time NBA All Star, 4 time NBA All Star Game MVP and the 2008 NBA MVP

No matter how you personally feel about Kobe, you know he’s a special player with rare talent. Of course I’ll give you the stats, but these are my personal favorite moments from Kobe Bryant’s 20 year NBA career.

Kobe’s press conference to announce he was entering the NBA draft

I always wondered, why were his glasses perched on his head like that?

Kobe Bryant TV Star

Before Kobe hit the hardwood in the City of Champions – that’s Inglewood, Ca.- he did the “Hollywood thing” with a guest starring role on his prom date Brandy’s TV show, Moesha. Bryant Kobe Bryant portrayed Terry Hightower, who naturally was a high school basketball star in Season 2.

18-year-old rookie Kobe Bryant winning the 1997 dunk contest

Kobe thought he was so ON! You can see it from the way he walked around the court. Too bad this was at a time when the NBA was down on rap music. Guys had to dunk to Brandy.

Kobe’s four air balls in the 1997 playoffs.

How fitting is it that Kobe’s last game is against the Utah Jazz. Those four airballs in the playoffs in the 1997 playoffs proved to be a character building moment.

 

Kobe Bryant’s rap career

Ok, not that terrible song with Tyra Banks K.O.B.E.

But was his flow really so bad on “Hold Me” with Brian McKnight?

Come on this is classic late 90’s video magic!

Kobe also briefly started a label. One of my friends at the time, an underground mixtape rapper from the Bronx named Uneek, was one of his first signings. They even had a showcase at the House Blues in LA on the Sunset strip that summer. This was after title number one.

 

We also can’t forget Kobe’s brief video vixen career:

2003 Kobe Bryant signs with Nike

This was a pivotal moment for me in my professional career. At the time I worked for Nike in Brand Marketing in the LA office. Kobe’s presence  would be a major focus for our group because the Lakers were our backyard.

But then Colorado happened. Nike had just signed Kobe to a five-year contract in the $40–45 million range before the incident. The sportswear giant was one of the few endorsers that didn’t drop him after he was charged.

The 2004 NBA All-Star game was in LA – The shoe for that game, the 04′ Huraches were really supposed to be Kobe’s shoe but nobody was going to actively market the shoe of a rape suspect. But, we knew once the case was over -assuming he was found not guilty – we would still be tasked with helping to rehab his image.

The direction was set, a grass roots campaign that focused on winning and what Kobe meant to the fans in LA. That plan eventually helped shaped the national direction. Our team knew the city of LA loved him and we made sure the city stayed behind him.

 

Mamba Rivalry 

When Knicks guard Chris Childs gave Kobe a quick two-piece to the chin in 2000.

As competitive as Kobe was, there probably was no better example than his rivalry with Shaq. No moment more perfectly illustrated the beef than in 2010 when Kobe and the Lakers got title number five. “One more than Shaq.”

 

Petty Wap!

When he dunked on Dwight Howard

That time when Matt Barnes couldn’t make Kobe flinch:

When Kobe let his sorry Lakers’ teammates know they weren’t worth his time in practice.

That time he reminded a “fan” that he has FIVE

Now, if you want the numbers and of course to relive the plays, head over to page 3. I know there are thousands of “farewell Kobe” posts going up today, but Kobe – and the 1996 draft- really had an impact on me both personally and professionally. It was only right that I salute the legend too.

 

 

Yahoo laid out Kobe’s top scoring games against every team in the league.