The Utah Jazz received the news before playing their final game of season. Like the Lakers, there would be no postseason for the Jazz after the Houston Rockets clinched eighth place, and the final playoff spot, in the Western Conference with a win earlier that night.
So their focus could shift — they wanted to be the team that sent Kobe Bryant off the court with a loss on April 13, 2016.
“Spoiling his last game would’ve been really fun for us,†Utah forward Joe Ingles said.
Instead, the Jazz had to settle for a different place in history — as the team that got to watch Bryant at his most Bryant-est when he scored 60 points on 50 shots five years ago today.
“All the stars were in the building. All the media people. Pretty much the whole world was watching that game,†Jazz center Derrick Favors said. “And we knew what was going to happen.â€
Favors was injured that night. He tweaked a knee the previous game and watched from the sideline with regret that he wasn’t sharing the court with Bryant one last time.
Instead, like Jack Nicholson, Jay-Z, Jimmy Goldstein and Shaquille O’Neal, Favors sat courtside. Unlike those guys, he didn’t pay for his ticket — he actually got paid for his.
“I was watching it as a fan. If I could’ve had my cellphone out there, I would’ve been taking pictures and video — all that stuff,†Favors said. “I watched that game from a fan’s perspective, and the things he was doing in the fourth quarter — we all knew was coming. As a team, we knew. Sooner or later, that was going to happen.â€
Before Bryant dragged the Lakers ahead for an unlikely victory, Jazz players marveled at the environment, the A-list celebrities and media throngs not typically present for a team that had just 16 wins in the previous 81 games.
When asked about the game, Ingles remembered running onto the court for pregame warmups only to see a wall of media crowding the court, trapping him and his teammates inside their own three-point line.
“We just had like 50 people on the court, all with their back turned to us,†Ingles said.
The Jazz had a feeling that Bryant was going to come out firing. It was a part of the pregame scouting report.
“We were in [the locker room] joking around about it: ‘He’s probably going to take 100 shots tonight,’ †Favors remembered. “… I wasn’t surprised he took 50 shots. I remember during the game whenever somebody else on the Laker team touched the ball, the whole arena started booing. They wanted Kobe to have the ball. They took a shot? They’d automatically start booing because they wanted Kobe to take the shot.
“Whether he made or missed, he could’ve shot from half court, and they still would’ve cheered.â€
Five years later, the memories from that night are sharp, from Bryant catching fire to the circus atmosphere that came with it.
“I remember sitting on the bench. I turned around and saw Snoop Dogg walk in past us. I noticed him and was like, ‘Oh s—, that’s Snoop Dogg,’ †Favors said. “And he heard me! And he said, ‘What’s up?’ I said ‘What’s up?’ Put my hand out. That was my first time ever seeing Snoop Dogg like that. ... That was a big moment for me.
“Just seeing all the entertainers, all these people you grew up watching on TV. Everyone was there.â€
Ingles later got a photo of him guarding Bryant that night to go with a pair of special-edition Bryant sneakers with the game’s date on them.
“Some pretty cool memories that I’ll keep forever,†he said.
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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) After the game as the Jazz headed to the visiting locker room, it was unlike the usual scene when a team’s season ends prematurely. What the Utah players saw and what they were a part of was wild.
“We’re a part of history now. Everyone is going to watch this game for the rest of ... however long,†Favors said. “You couldn’t walk away from that game in a bad mood. You just couldn’t. ... We all got a chance to witness that live — with front-row seats.â€
