5 greatest Los Angeles Lakers moments in the Staples Center
By Jason Reed
4. Kobe Bryant dropping 60 points in the last game of his career
This has to be the best regular-season NBA game of all-time, right? Sure, there have been thrilling battles and games where seeding was decided on the final day. But at the end of the day, there has never been a regular-season game on the stage that Kobe Bryant’s final game was on.
And it was fitting. Bryant was the face of the NBA post-MJ and is one of the greatest players of all time. Perhaps the most respected superstar of the last several decades (even MJ has his retractors), Kobe deserved all the attention for his final game and as he always does, he put on a show for his fans.
Sure, the game didn’t really mean anything, but Kobe Bryant looked like prime Black Mamba on this night as he dropped 60 points on the Utah Jazz for a come-from-behind victory. It was the perfect ending to a Hall of Fame career.
There may never be an athlete more beloved in the city of Los Angeles than Kobe Bryant. Bryant embodied what it meant to be a Laker and shared the same hard work mindset that resonates with every single sports fan. He left everything he had on the court every single night and every single fan is going to respect that.
He is the greatest Laker of all time and is one of the most magical superstar athletes of all time. This is not his only moment on this list as his legacy continues to live on.