There was one more show from the player who once scored 81 points and, in a different game, 62 through three quarters.
Kobe Bryant had 60 points in the final game of his 20-year career as the aura at Staples Center blew past “inexplicable†and moved toward “surreal.â€
Bryant acknowledged being somewhat in shock afterward, making 22 of 50 shots in 42 minutes of a 101-96 Lakers victory Wednesday over the Utah Jazz.
“My teammates were just continuing to encourage me, continuing to say, ‘Dude, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot,’†Bryant said. “It’s like reverse. It’s a weird year. Go from being the villain to now being some type of a hero. And go from everybody saying, ‘Pass the ball!’ to saying, ‘Shoot the ball!’â€
It was a fully unpredictable end. Not even his daughters seemed to believe it as they sat courtside across from the Lakers’ bench.
“The coolest thing is that my kids actually saw me play like I used to play,†Bryant said. “[They’re] like, ‘Whoa, dad.’â€
It was a perfect night for Bryant in a season long gone asunder for the Lakers, who ended up 17-65, their worst record ever. Just two weeks earlier, Bryant scored only five points against Utah while making one of 11 shots as the Lakers lost by 48, tying the biggest loss in franchise history.
His 60-point outburst Wednesday padded his season scoring average to 17.6, up from 16.9 going into the finale.
He was a charming host from start to finish Wednesday, telling the Lakers ahead of time he didn’t want a long pregame ceremony and later appearing genuinely touched by fans’ show of affection. Afterward, he shared hugs with about 25 former teammates who trickled onto the court.
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Kobe Bryant signs the court late into the night at the Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant kisses his wife Vanessa long after his last game at the Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant leaves the court for the last time as a Laker, heading to the locker room after scoring 60 points and leading the team to a 101-96 win over the Utah Jazz.
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Kobe Bryant is all smiles after his final game at Staples Center Wednesday.
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Kobe Bryant shares a laugh with former teammate Derek Fisher on the court after scoring 60 points in his last game as a Laker at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant greets Lamar Odom after his final game at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant kisses his wife Vanessa after his final game.
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Kobe Bryant walks off the court after his final game at Staples Center.
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Lakers Kobe Bryant salutes the crowd at the end of the game.
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Kobe Bryant waves to the crowd as he walks off the court for the last time at Staples Center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Lakers Kobe Bryant pauses for a moment as confetti streams down following his last game at the Staples Center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant salutes the crowd at the end of his final game at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant feels the love of the fans at Staples Center following his final game.
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Lakers Kobe Bryant and A.C. Green after his final game at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant thanks the crowd after his final game at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant waves goodbye to the crowd after his final game at the Staples Center.
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Balloons and confetti fall after Kobe Bryant’s last game
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A security guard stnds alone on the court after Kobe Bryant’s last game at the Staples Center Wednesday.
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Los Angeles City Hall is decorated with Lakers’ purple and gold lights for Kobe Bryant’s last game.
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Kobe Bryant is mobbed as he scores 60-points in his final NBA game at the Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant gets a slap from comedian George Lopez after making a three-pointer in his final game.
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Kobe Bryant watches as the ball hits the bottom of the net during his last game as a Los Angeles Laker against the Utah Jazz.
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Kobe Bryant stretches out as he makes a basket during his final game as a Laker on April 12 at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant drives late in the final minutes of the game at Staples Center.
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Kanye West and Jay Z greet each other before Kobe Bryant’s final game.
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Kobe Bryant drives the ball in the third quarter of his final game at the Staples Center Wednesday.
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Kobe Bryant tries to steal the ball in his last game as a Laker at the Staples Center Wednesday, April 12.
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Kobe Bryant shakes hands with Shaquille O’Neal at his final game at Staples Center on April 13.
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The Weeknd and girlfriend Bella Hadid arrive for Kobe Bryant’s final game at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant is stripped of the ball by Jazz guard Rodney Hood during first half action at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant drives to the basket during the first half of his final NBA game.
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Lamar Odom attends Kobe Bryant’s final game at Staples Center.
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Lakers star Kobe Bryant, center, heads to the locker room after scoring 22 points in the first half of his final game on Wednesday, April 13, 2016, at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
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Kobe Bryant takes a shot in the first quarter of his final game at the Staples Center Wednesday.
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Kobe Bryant blocks a shot by Trevor Booker in his final game at Staples Center on Wednesday.
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Front row fans, including Jack Nicholson cheer Kobe Bryant after he hits a shot during first half action against the Jazz at Staples Center.
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LOS ANGELES-CA-APRIL 13, 2016: Kobe thanks the crowd before his final game at Staples Center.
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Kobe Bryant is welcomed onto the court for his farewell game at Staples Center on April 13.
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Kobe Bryant acknowledges the Staples Center crowd during a pregame ceremony.
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Kobe Bryant with Magic Johnson before Kobe plays his last game as a Los Angeles Laker against the Utah Jazz.
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Surrounded by cameras Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson embrace before Bryant’s final game at the Staples Center Wednesday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant waits for introductions before his final game at the Staples Center Wednesday, April 13. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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T-shirts await fans who attend Kobe Bryant’s final game at Staples Center.
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A young girl, sporting Kobe Bryant’s original No. 8 Lakers jersey, bounces a ball on the court before the future Hall-of-Famer’s final game.
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The Lakers store at Staples Center was all about Kobe Bryant and his merchandise on the day of his final NBA game.
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Fans gather outside Staples Center before Kobe Bryant’s final game in a Laker uniform.
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Rock star “Flea†rehearses the national anthem before Kobe Bryant’s last game on April 13, 2016, as players warm-up. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Fans gathered outside Staples Center ahead of Kobe Bryant’s final game with the Lakers.
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Lakers fans gather outside Staples Center before the final game of Kobe Bryant’s career.
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Chick Hearn Court is packed as fans descend on Staples Cener to witness Kobe Bryant play his last game as a Los Angeles Laker against the Utah Jazz.
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Lakers fans get a Kobe chant going outside Staples Center in Los Angeles before Laker great Kobe Bryant’s final game on Wednesday.
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Members of a group of Kobe Bryant fans who flew in from China, including Iris Hong of Beijing, right, get excited outside Staples Center for the player’s last game Wednesday.
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Fans sign a giant card for Kobe Bryant outside Staples Center before his final game Wednesday.
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Kobe Bryant fans swarm to Staples Center in Los Angeles to show their love for the Laker great at his last game Wednesday.
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Kobe Bryant footwear is on display as the Laker Girls arrive for Wednesday night’s game, the basketball star’s last.
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Fans sign a giant card for Kobe Bryant outside Staples Center in Los Angeles before his final game Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles TImes) Shaquille O’Neal, Lamar Odom, Robert Horry, Rick Fox, Derek Fisher. They were all there. Adam Morrison, Chris Mihm, DJ Mbenga and Mike Penberthy, too.
One thing was missing, in Bryant’s opinion — “The perfect ending would have been a championship,†he said — but this was a night to savor.
“I can’t believe this actually happened. I’m still in shock about it,†he said. “The outpouring of support all night long, and [from] my former teammates and fans and family.â€
Bryant’s current teammates on Thursday expressed varying levels of amazement about his performance.
“I felt last night he was going to do something crazy,†second-year forward Julius Randle said. “I told him he had to take at least 40 field-goal attempts. He took 50. I was like he could have taken 60. I really wanted him to score 100 points, but he was probably a little tired. Last night was about him. I’m just happy that he did what he wanted to do. He went out his way.â€
Veteran forward Brandon Bass said he asked Lakers assistant equipment managers to buy champagne before the game.
Watch George Lopez, David Beckham, Jeremy Piven, Arsenio Hall and others describe their emotions at Kobe Bryant’s final game.
Bass wasn’t sure how Bryant would react to champagne being poured on him in the locker room after the game, given that Bryant said it’s reserved for winning a championship. Bass said Bryant “embraced†the champagne pour from teammates.
“Dude had a storybook ending. To end it that way, they don’t make movies like that,†Bass said. “I felt like a little kid watching the game of basketball and going to see my favorite player have a great game. Kobe had that.â€
Rookie guard D’Angelo Russell said: “The whole atmosphere — you could tell it was something that Laker nation fans were used to and you can feel that anything less is unacceptable … his last game ever and 60 points, that’s crazy.â€
And Metta World Peace, who won a championship with Bryant in 2010, said it was an emotional night: “He didn’t start off hot … and then he just caught fire. And I was like wow, he has seven points, in a couple minutes. Then it went to 10, and we were like he’s going to have 25 tonight …and I just remember around the fourth quarter having a headache from screaming and jumping so high, I guess. It was great. It was great.â€
Bryant acknowledged almost choking up when he put on his jersey for the last time and when he ran out to the court for pregame warmups.
Kobe Bryant met with the media after a 60-point performance in the Lakers’ 101-96 victory over the Jazz, and the final game of his career.
He was focused on one thing when he left the court for good.
“Don’t trip,†he said dryly.
What’s next for Bryant?
He planned to work out Thursday and head into his Kobe Inc. offices in Orange County.
“I’ve been in a certain routine for my entire career,†he said. “The worst thing that I could possibly do is not have one because then you wake up without a sense of purpose or a sense of direction. I have to find a new routine and I have to get to it and be comfortable with it.â€
He’ll work on continuing to expand the reach of the sports beverage he already owns and also put together a movie based on this season. It’ll be akin to last year’s “Muse†film that he produced.
Five camera crews followed him around Wednesday, a marked departure from the one or two he usually hired throughout the season.
“I love the art of storytelling,†he said.
Bryant, 37, finished with 33,643 career regular-season points, third in NBA history. He admitted feeling fatigued during Wednesday’s game but obviously kept going.
“I was tired, but I just had to push through it. I mean, saving it for what?†he said.
Times staff writer Lindsey Thiry contributed to this report.
Follow Mike Bresnahan on Twitter: @Mike_Bresnahan
