Kobe Bryant's 20th and final
NBA season came to a close on Wednesday night. He finished it exactly as he
spent most of it: remorselessly and gleefully gunning.
And everybody loved it,
because it was perfect. It couldn't have been more perfect.
In his last game as a
professional basketball player, Bryant fully embraced the Viking funeral that
began when he announced on Nov. 29, 2015, that this would be his last ride.
With Los Angeles Lakers fans, NBA legends, former teammates, Hollywood royalty,
his wife and his children watching his every move, Kobe entertained us all one
more time with a performance that seemed, even as it was unfolding, like the
stuff of fiction.
Shaquille O'Neal wasn't
kidding. He really did call for 50 during an "Inside the NBA" chat
last month. Back then, Kobe said no. On Wednesday, he changed his mind.
