SportsKobe BryantLA Lakers

Kobe Bryant Says Goodbye To The NBA In Most Kobe Way Possible

No. 24 just scored 60 points on 50 field goal attempts.
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By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

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Kobe Bryant said goodbye to the NBA on Wednesday night in really the only way he could have: By launching more shots than any other player since at least the 1983-1984 season, including a late jumper to take the lead. 

Bryant took 50 shots in all during his final game as a member of the Lakers, connecting on 22 of them on the way to 60 points, the most by any NBA player in his final game, and even more than former teammate Shaquille O'Neal requested.

The Lakers came from behind to beat the Utah Jazz 101-96, but that was almost a footnote in a game that was more a celebration of Bryant's two decades in the league than anything else. The game plan was pretty simple.

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“I went through 20 years of everyone screaming ‘pass the ball!’ and on the final night they’re like, ‘don’t pass it!’” Bryant laughed after the game.

The night was filled countless tributes to the Lakers star, including a video tribute to before the game that featured many familiar faces during Kobe’s two decades in the league, including O’Neal Derek Fisher, Phil Jackson, Pau Gasol, Jack Nicholson and even Lamar Odom. Magic Johnson also celebrated Bryant in person, even anointing him the greatest Laker ever.

But in his final game, Bryant was able to make it about, well, the game, with spectacular play after spectacular play, albeit with a few misses along the way.

There was even a pretty great pass from the other team's three-point line.

And a few friends were there to pay tribute, too. 

Bryant was drafted No. 13 in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, who then traded the teenage shooting guard to the Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac. He would go on to play twenty seasons for the Lakers.

Over his career, Bryant won five championships and two NBA Finals MVPs. He was selected to the All-Star Game 18 times and All-NBA First Team 11 times. And, of course, he scored, more than 33,000 points in all. Near the end of the game, there was really only one thing left for Bryant to say.

 "What can I say? Mamba out."

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Before You Go

The Greatest Photo From Every Season Of Kobe Bryant's Career
Rookie Year: 1996-1997(01 of18)
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Bryant eyes the basket during the NBA Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend on Feb. 8, 1997. On that day, at age 18, Bryant became the youngest player ever to win the contest. (credit:MATT CAMPBELL/AFP via Getty Images)
Year 2: 1997-1998(02 of18)
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Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen try to stop Bryant as he leads a fast break in a Feb. 1, 1998, game between the Chicago Bulls and the Lakers. Bryant scored 20 points that night, helping LA to a 112-87 win. (credit:Vince Bucci via Getty Images)
Year 3: 1998-1999(03 of18)
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Bryant elevates for a dunk at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, in the spring of his third season with the Lakers. (credit:Andrew D. Bernstein via Getty Images)
Year 4: 1999-2000(04 of18)
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Bryant gets up high to block a shot by Bonzi Wells of the Portland Trail Blazers during a playoff game on June 4, 2000, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (credit:Andrew D. Bernstein via Getty Images)
Year 5: 2000-2001(05 of18)
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Bryant throws a pass around the back of the Philadelphia 76ers' Dikembe Mutombo during Game 2 of the 2001 NBA Finals, on June 8, 2001, at the Staples Center. (credit:Nathaniel S. Butler via Getty Images)
Year 6: 2001-2002(06 of18)
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Bryant goes up-and-under for the layup against the San Antonio Spurs during Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals on May 7, 2002. (credit:Noah Graham via Getty Images)
Year 7: 2002-2003(07 of18)
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Bryant dunks over seven-foot-six-inch Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets on Feb. 18, 2003. (credit:Andrew D. Bernstein via Getty Images)
Year 8: 2003-2004(08 of18)
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On June 8, 2004, Bryant hits a deep shot over Richard Hamilton with just ticks remaining on the clock, tying up Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons. (credit:Jesse D. Garrabrant via Getty Images)
Year 9: 2004-2005(09 of18)
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Bryant performs some acrobatics in the lane against Lamond Murray and the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 28, 2004. (credit:Andrew D. Bernstein via Getty Images)
Year 10: 2005-2006(10 of18)
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Bryant shoots a free throw for his 81st point against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006. His 81-point scoring total that night was the second highest in NBA history. (credit:Jeffrey Bottari via Getty Images)
Year 13: 2008-2009(11 of18)
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Bryant celebrates the Lakers winning the 2008-2009 NBA championship, on June 14, 2009, in Orlando, Florida. Bryant won Finals MVP honors, as the Lakers easily defeated the Magic in a five-game series. (credit:Wally Skalij via Getty Images)
Year 15: 2010-2011(12 of18)
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Bryant hangs on to the rim after a Jan. 17, 2011, dunk against the Oklahoma City Thunder. (credit:Harry How via Getty Images)
Year 15: 2010-2011(13 of18)
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Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, Metta World Peace and Luke Walton laugh on the bench during a game against the Utah Jazz on Jan. 25, 2011. (credit:Andrew D. Bernstein via Getty Images)
Year 16: 2011-2012(14 of18)
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Bryant looks on during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 29, 2012. He had suffered a concussion and a broken nose in the All-Star Game a couple weeks prior. (credit:Noah Graham via Getty Images)
Year 17: 2012-2013(15 of18)
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Moments after tearing his Achilles on April 12, 2013, Bryant somehow manages to sink two free throws before leaving the game. Less than 24 hours later, Bryant had season-ending surgery. (credit:Noah Graham via Getty Images)
Year 18: 2013-2014(16 of18)
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On Dec. 8, 2013, Bryant steps onto the court for his first game since tearing his Achilles the previous spring. Unsurprisingly, he received a huge ovation from the Staples Center crowd all throughout that night's contest against the Toronto Raptors. (credit:Harry How via Getty Images)
Year 19: 2014-2015(17 of18)
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Two of the greatest players ever go head to head, as Bryant bodies up LeBron James on Jan. 15, 2015. The picture is strikingly similar to one taken of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson -- two other all-time greats -- decades earlier. (credit:Juan Ocampo via Getty Images)
Year 20: 2015-2016(18 of18)
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Bryant waves to the Philadelphia crowd, acknowledging their loud ovation, prior to the Lakers' contest against the 76ers on Dec 1, 2015. Philadelphia held a pre-game ceremony for Bryant, honoring his 20-year NBA career. (credit:Mitchell Leff via Getty Images)
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