D’Angelo Russell spoke about Kobe Bryant‘s farewell season during an appearance on the ‘Run Your Race’ podcast. He noted that Kobe’s retirement came as a shock to the rest of the Lakers, and they were placed in a spotlight their performances didn’t deserve. D-Lo then reflected on Kobe’s legendary final game against the Jazz where he scored 60 points.
“What was crazy was his [Kobe] year turned into a farewell tour out of nowhere. That sh*t just happened. We [Lakers] were trash. Then it was like ‘Alright!’ – TV games, big lights. Nobody was trying to see us. We would get no TV games. We was booty but once it became Kobe’s year, y’all saw our booty-a** games…”
“When you got the ball and they booing you, you know what that means. Get that ball to that man. He was just trying to score. I remember Julius [Randle] saying ‘I’m just trying to get on the board! I’m just trying to score, I ain’t trying to have zero!’. Everybody was just trying to get two! He’s going to get all the other ones, but that’s what it was.”
“It was really us running around trying to get him the ball because they were trapping him, he was shooting tough twos… I’m just like ‘Damn’. You just see his face, he looked young, bro. Just looked like he had it.”
“I don’t know what was getting him through that sh*t. He ain’t come out of the game. He was prepared though, you could see it mentally. He was prepared. Everybody in the world was at the game. Denzel, Shaq, everybody…”
D'Angelo Russell looks back on Kobe Bryant's farewell season, including his 60-point masterpiece in his final NBA game:
"What was crazy, his year turned into a farewell tour out of nowhere… We [the Lakers] were trash… When you got the ball and they booing you, you know what… pic.twitter.com/tFD83WIaGY
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 31, 2024
Kobe’s final season and final game in the NBA were special. His legendary 60-point showing against Utah is considered by many to be the greatest final game by any player in NBA history. On his final night in the league, a 37-year-old Kobe Bryant turned back the clock and put on one of the greatest performances of his life, putting up 60 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal.
Kobe Bryant’s NBA Swansong Was Emotional
Kobe walking away from the NBA during the 2015-16 NBA season was one of the key talking points in one of the most historic years in NBA history. The day Kobe retired was the same day the Warriors finished with the greatest regular season record in history, ending their season 73-9, surpassing the 1996 Chicago Bulls.
Bryant is considered by many to be one of the greatest players of all time. And there is no doubt that Kobe is the greatest Laker in history. So fans would pack arenas throughout the year to catch a glimpse of Bryant playing the game he loved for the last time in his career.
Many NBA players today idolize him, and continue to show their respects to his greatness. Recently, Jayson Tatum spoke about what an honor it is for him to wear number 10 with Team USA, the same number Kobe wore when he played for Team USA.
Furthermore, Paul George, who recently signed with the 76ers, chose to wear number 8, the same number Kobe wore for the first portion of his career. George explained that he wanted to pay tribute to his mentor, especially now that he is playing in his hometown.
Bryant tragically passed away in 2020, but his legacy will live forever. So many players in the NBA, past and present, have a great amount of love and respect for the Black Mamba, and he is fondly remembered as one of the all-time greats in the league’s history.
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