Kobe Bryant got a standing ovation in his final NBA All-Star Game before kissing daughter Gianna
Kobe Bryant kept hugging NBA stars as his name rang out in a packed arena.
The league's greatest scorer since Michael Jordan was honored over and over again, with fans proudly applauding a retiring superstar who would soon leave the world far too early.
4
"Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!" cheered the crowd on February 14 inside the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
Bryant, an 18-time All-Star and five-time NBA champion, took it all in and got the most out his final All-Star Game in 2016.
“It was fun,” Bryant said. “I had a blast playing with those guys, laughing and joking with them on the bench.”
Bryant, who passed away in January 2020 with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash, was limited on the hardwood in his final All-Star appearance.
READ MORE ON NBA
He only scored 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting, while Paul George poured in 41 points for the Eastern Conference and Russell Westbrook led the Western squad with 41.
But Bryant walked off a winner, as the West almost hit 200 points with a 196-173 victory.
He also previewed what his post-NBA life would become before a crash in the Southern California hillside tragically cut short his life at 41.
In Toronto, Bryant was revered by NBA stars including LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant.
Most read in Basketball
4
4
One of the greatest Lakers of all-time also had a special connection with his children, giving a kiss to Gianna before exiting the game for good.
"They were sitting right behind the bench, so I was talking to them virtually the whole game," Bryant said. "They've enjoyed this as much as I have, coming to these arenas.
They've seen me throughout the years get up at 4 in the morning and work out and train and come home and work out again. So it's awesome, as a father, for them to be able to see all the hard work and how it pays off."
Bryant, who famously challenged Michael Jordan in 1998 during MJ's last All-Star appearance and the young Laker's first, also connected with NBA legends Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson while representing the West for the last time.
"It's always the younger generation that comes in and it's just like the elder statesmen says this younger generation has no idea what they're doing. They're going to absolutely kill the game," Bryant said.
"The game, when we played, was pure and all this kind of stuff. Hey, man, that's always the case. When we came in, we were just young kids that wanted to play. It was a newer generation, newer culture, but I think where the game ended up, it ended up in a beautiful place.
"David Stern changed the dress code somewhere in between that, that helped, I think. But, yeah, I think the game is in a beautiful place now."
4
It was a beautiful final All-Star moment for Bryant, who was serenaded with a standing ovation as he exited the hardwood.
“To see him now, it’s like the passing of a generation,” West coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s been such an iconic figure for so long, and he passes it on to that other group of young guys that you saw out there tonight.”
As the West recorded another All-Star win, one name rang out for all to hear.
"Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!"
Topics