“60 Wasn’t the Only Number That Night”: Lakers Pay Tribute to Kobe Bryant

On April 13, 2016, Kobe Bryant played his final game for the Los Angeles Lakers. Incredibly, he finished with 60 points on the night. But 60 wasn’t his only record that night.

On Wednesday, Los Angeles Lakers dug out a few more numbers from the night to pay tribute to the late legend. The Lakers posted a photo on Twitter that showed Bryant’s statistics in his final game. Astonishingly, he had run more than any other Lakers player on the night- 2.65 miles. It was also only second to Utah Jazz’s Trey Lyles, who had run 2.68 miles.

“When the basketball world looks back on Kobe Bryant’s finals game, the number that will stand out will obviously be 60, as the retiring superstar exploded for one last scoring binge. But there are plenty more digits worthy of remembrance from the finale of the No. 24,” the post from Lakers read.

Kobe Bryant: A true legend

Bryant had bowed out as one of the best. He was an 18-time All-Star in his 20-year NBA career. The youngest All-Star was also a four-time All-Star game MVP. Starting out as the first guard to be picked straight from high school, Bryant already had a narrative around him. He further built around it with an amazing career.

He achieved a three-peat, winning three consecutive titles at the turn of the century. The Mamba then led his team to two more titles in 2009 and 2010. An Achilles injury towards the end of his career did not stop him from playing basketball. He came back from the injury in 2013 and retired on a high in 2016.

Bryant suffered a tragic death in January earlier this year in a helicopter crash. The crash also took eight more lives, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant. The world mourned the death of the iconic player. In February, the Lakers held a memorial service honoring him at the Staples Center.

On Wednesday, the Lakers announced ESPN would telecast The Finale in honor of the legend.

Later this year, Bryant will be officially inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in a ceremony in August.