Kobe Bryant left a huge mark on the game of basketball, becoming one of the 10 greatest players to step foot on the court. The Black Mamba spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he lived plenty of happy moments but also endured difficulties, trying to win more championships with the Purple and Gold.
Even after he flirted with a trade away from Los Angeles on several occasions, Kobe stayed with the team and won two championships without Shaquille O’Neal, accomplishing more goals and adding hardware to an already impressive collection. At the end of his career, Kobe was considered one of the two greatest Lakers of all time.
After everything was said and done, Bryant was a total legend of the Lakers, and the most interesting part about it is that he had two careers in one, playing for some time with No. 8 and then No. 24. These decisions had always brought up a big question regarding Bryant.
Kobe Bryant Revealed The Number He Would’ve Liked To See On His Statue
Having a legendary career with each number, many wondered which number the Lakers had to retire after Kobe called it a career. They didn’t have that problem and went with the two. However, when somebody asked which one Kobe would prefer to see in a potential statue, the 5x NBA champion picked No. 24.
Ahead of his jersey retirement ceremony, Kobe talked with the media, explaining why he barely picked No. 24 over No. 8 for his future statue.
“24 was more challenging,” Bryant started. “And I tend to gravitate to things that are harder to do. And physically for me, it was really really to get up night in and night out, man. It’s a grind. You know, taking on the Boston Celtics, having a bone fragment in my foot during that series, and having a broken finger, and muscling through that half back of the career, some of the toughest stretches of basketball ever, so I guess if you force me to pick, I’d probably go with 24 because of that.”
After spending the first half of his career wearing No. 8, Kobe decided to make a change in 2006, closing a picture of his career and starting a new one with No. 24, where he struggled to find success, but once he broke that barrier, he returned to his best moment, leading the Lakers to three consecutive NBA Finals, winning two championships in the process.
