In a season that the late Los Angeles Lakers icon played at his worst, Kobe Bryant suddenly excelled at his best.
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Exactly 10 years ago, Bryant ended his 20-year NBA career by leading the Lakers to a win over the Utah Jazz with 60 points on 22-for-50 shooting in 42 minutes.
That performance defined Bryant’s high-volume shooting and competitive zeal. Those qualities yielded five NBA championships and a fourth-place standing on the league’s all-time scoring list. That game also contrasted most of Bryant’s final NBA season.
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Then, he averaged 17.6 points per game on a career-worst 35.8-percent clip while laboring through numerous injuries. The Lakers finished with their worst record in franchise history (17-65) while struggling to maximize Bryant’s final season and develop a young, unproven roster.
Given that context, how does Bryant’s final game compare to when he scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in the 2020-06 season? Or when Bryant scored 62 points through three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks in that same campaign?
“That’s the top of the list,” former Lakers coach Byron Scott told EssentiallySports.
Scott, who coached Bryant from 2014 to 2016 and played with him during his rookie season in 1996-97, spoke to EssentiallySports about Bryant’s 60-point game. Some of Bryant’s former teammates, including Metta Sandiford-Artest, Tarik Black, and Robert Sacre, also spoke to EssentiallySports about their own memories of being a part of Bryant’s final game.
Editor’s note: The interviews with EssentiallySports were all conducted separately. The transcript has also been edited and condensed.
What’s your favorite core memory about Kobe’s 60-point performance in his final game?
Scott: “I remember everything. But the one thing that comes to mind is how he started off. As I told him when we started the journey for his last two years, the aim was to get him to Game 82 in his last year relatively healthy. We were able to achieve that goal. But he started off 0-for-5. He couldn’t make a shot. I remember just sitting there thinking, ‘This is not how I want Kobe to go out.’
I was feeling bad at that moment that it wasn’t going the way I had planned it, and I’m sure it certainly wasn’t going the way he planned it. Then all of a sudden, he got fouled and hit a couple of free throws. Then the rim felt like an ocean for him because every shot went in. I remember at the start feeling like, ‘This is not how I want Kobe to go out this way because he wasn’t able to make a shot to start the game.’”
Sandiford-Artest: “The core memory of that night for me is something else because I’m so competitive. Kobe’s body was not in good shape. So I thought Kobe would play 25, 30 or 33 minutes, only because I thought he would need a breather. So I’m backing up Kobe at this point. I’m getting ready to play. When Kobe went out of the game after going 0-for-5, I thought I’d get in the game. That just did not happen. I didn’t touch the floor.
Kobe just caught fire. I didn’t think he was going to be able to perform at that level that night. I remember the days watching Kobe play in the championship games. Against Boston [in Game 5 in 2010] , he had 25 straight points. I remember just thinking to myself, ‘This guy is like Superman.’ That’s how that night was.”
Black: “A favorite memory would be the end and seeing him walk off the court for the last time. When you’re watching it, you’re so enthused by what you’re seeing. We witnessed something absolutely amazing. The environment is absolutely electrifying and something that I’ve never been a part of before. But then he walked off the court and this is the last time he’ll wear that jersey. That replays in my mind.
Then there was excitement in the locker room and waiting for him to come back to celebrate him. The pictures are out there with the champagne showers and everything that happened in the back. It was such an anticipatory moment. We were so excited. I remember D’Angelo [Russell] being super excited. Once it was done, being in the back and waiting to celebrate that moment was dope.
It’s amazing for me to see the highlights of that game. I didn’t play a ton of minutes that night (18). But I’m so grateful for the Rodney Hood block. Every time I see the highlights, I’m in there because of that block. I got the block on Rodney Hood when he tried to dunk. I threw the ball down. Then Kobe threw a lob to Larry Nance Jr.
I’m super grateful for that opportunity to do something that impacted the game and was highlight-worthy, to be part of history that night. I definitely believe that night will be a conversation for some time because I don’t know who’s going to do something greater than that to leave the game.”
Sacre: “What a historical moment. You’re playing with one of the greatest of all time. Seeing his preparation of his last game, he was locked in. I think at the end of that season, he just kind of embraced the moment. He embraced that this was his last year, he’s going out and he wants to show his fans exactly what he’s all about. I think he did a perfect thing with the way he played.”
Kobe has the five championships. But given the context of Kobe scoring 60 points on 50 shots in his final game at age 37 and dealing with different injuries, where do you rank that game compared to his 81-point game, 62-point game or anything else?
Scott: “That’s the top of the list. Like you said, 20 years in the league, the injuries that he sustained and had to fight through to play and to go out with 60 points with his last and final game, I don’t think we’ll see that duplicated in my lifetime.
MJ [Michael Jordan] didn’t even do anything close to that. For most of the greats, their last game was nowhere near what this man was able to accomplish. So I think that’s probably at the top of the list, as far I’m concerned.
Even over 81. For his 81 [point game], he was at a high point where he was doing everything. But that 60? It’s his last game that he’s ever going to play. He had the Achilles [injury] and everything that he sustained. Yet, he was still able to do that on his last game at that age. I just put that No. 1. Eighty-one is at No. 2, as far I’m concerned.”
Sandiford-Artest: “That’s the greatest performance he’s ever had. It’s bigger than 81. Eighty-one was great. But the 60 was way better. That was way better.
Nobody was fouling at the end, trying to get him 60. He went to the basket. He played the whole game. But it was a real 60. The 81 [point game] was great, but he already had 62 that year through the third quarter. The 81 was incredible. But he was ‘prime Kobe’ at that point.
This was the most impressive one because this is his last game on his way out. He left on top, well for the most part. It wasn’t a playoff run. But he left well on his way out. That’s really crazy.”
Black: “It’s a really high milestone. That’s the way he left the game. How many of the greatest performers in any sport do you remember the last time of them performing? Some people left with championships. That’s memorable.
But you can’t probably count on both hands how many final games in professional sports that you really remember if you’re not a fanatic of that player. But across sports and you’re not a huge fan of that person or team, there are very few players that can make noise. His final game is that. If you ask anybody in any sport, ‘How did Kobe leave the game?’ They’ll tell you that he scored 60.
It’s a high-level game. With the injuries and with age to score 60 and put up that many shots, he was drained. I remember looking at him during timeouts. That was one of the greatest pleasures with playing in that game with him. During my time, I played with ‘older Kobe.’ That wasn’t ‘championship time Kobe.’ So I never got a chance to experience that person that everybody talks about.
We had moments of that time with that person with moments he got upset with us. So we saw it. But that moment of seeing him take over and be that guy instead of just telling you or being upset with how things are going. He’s still doing it.
He was so drained and fatigued. You could tell that he had nothing, but he could still go back out and still do it at that level. The form is the same. The jump is the same. Everything is the same.
That was incredible. I thought, ‘This is the Kobe that I heard about.’ It’s not even just the 60 points. That’s amazing. But it was more about the person that doesn’t quit, the person that bounces back and the person that has a different mentality than everybody. He got into a certain mode and had a certain look.”
Sacre: (laughs). “Typical Kobe. ‘If I’m going to go 1-for-9, I may as well go 1-for-50, if I’m going to shoot like sh—.’ He’s an entertainer and performer that wants to give his fans the best. That to me is what he did. He knew his fans were watching. He didn’t want to disappoint.”
Beforehand, what did you expect how Kobe would play in his final game?
Scott: “It wasn’t so much what I expected. What I was hoping was that he would get 30 points, we would win the game and we would win it on a shot that he takes at the buzzer. Something dramatic like that. I thought that would be more fitting if he can get 30, we win the game and he’s the one that knocked down the winning shot or free throws to seal the game.
I thought that would be a fitting end to his career. But I never imagined, man. I never thought in my wildest dreams that he would score 60. That number never even entered my mind for his last game. So that’s why doing that at that particular time, it’s just so much more gratifying to me than the 81-point game because I knew what he had to go through.
For 20 years, I knew what he had been through and what he had to overcome. To finish on such a high note, it was remarkable to me.”
Sandiford-Artest: “I thought his final game would have some big moments. Maybe like 25 or 30 [points] because he would be in the game. I thought he would then come out of the game when he’s tired. But he flipped the script.
He was just like, ‘Nah, I’m giving it everything.’ I didn’t expect him to give it all that he got. He already did it. He was already hurt. He was already tired.
I didn’t know he had the energy to do that. I totally did not know that he had the energy to do that. He was sitting out of games. He was sitting out of practice. He had to ice his knees. It took him so long to get ready for the game. I didn’t think he had it in him. That was it. He proved us wrong. He laid it all on the line. That should be a movie.”
Black: “This was hilarious. Julius [Randle] conspired with myself and Nance and said, ‘Listen, any rebound we get, we’re throwing it back to Kobe. He’s got to shoot. We have to make sure that he goes off tonight.’
So then we walked up to Kobe at his locker, he’s chilling and trying to act cool and calm.
USA Today via Reuters
Apr 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) reacts to the crowd as he walks on the court before a game against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center. Bryant concludes his 20-year NBA career tonight. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
We walked up and Julius said, ‘You’re getting every shot tonight. We’re going to throw you the ball so you can shoot the ball.’
He was like, ‘Nah, man. Just do your thing.’ We were like, ‘Nah, you’re shooting the ball.’
It was our moment that we were going to tell Kobe to do something. At that moment, we were so excited. We were like, ‘We’re giving you the ball. You got to go off tonight.’ So he just laughed. I feel like once he realized we are dead serious and are really excited for him, he just laughed and put his head down to do what he’s doing. Then we thought, ‘It’s going to happen.’
If you watch the games that Julius was setting, Nance is getting offensive rebounds and kicking it to him and my screens, all of us were really trying to get him open. We were trying to do everything we could so that the night would take place the way it did. But at the end of the day, that was him. Kobe orchestrated that one with how many shots he was making.”
Sacre: “No one knew what to expect. We just knew it would be a fan-crazy event. People were buying outrageous amount of tickets. They wanted to see their superstar go out with a bang. No one knew what it would be like. Man, what was our record that season?
We wanted to come in and give this guy his shots and let him go out shooting. Sure as hell, he did. It was ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids.’”
What was the pre-game scene with Kobe like?
Scott: “His pre-game demeanor wasn’t any different. He didn’t look like or seem to me as if he was soaking it in that it was the last game of his career. He approached it like just another game. We all knew it wasn’t. But I think he approached that for 20 years, so I don’t think he was going to differentiate from that on that one particular night. Nobody would’ve been upset or anything about it if he did.
He gave 20 years of his life playing a game and doing something that he loved. When I say he left nothing out there, he left nothing out there. He gave this game everything that he had.”
USA Today via Reuters
Apr 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) tries to drive against Utah Jazz guard Shelvin Mack (8) in the first quarter at Staples Center. Bryant concludes his 20-year NBA career tonight. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
I asked Kobe before the game, ‘I need your shoes signed after the game is over.’ He was like, ‘Coach, no doubt. I got you. I got you.’ Then when he finished for everybody else, he came to me and said, ‘Coach, I’m so sorry. I need to give these to Gigi.’ I was like, ‘Oh, you got to give them to Gigi. That’s not a problem at all.’ So I didn’t get them signed with the shoes. But when he said that Gigi wants them.’
I was like, ‘Of course you’re going to give them to Gigi. That’s your daughter. That’s your love. You got to give them to her.’ I was privy to watching guys. I was one of the guys jumping in there, too.
If I was smart, I would’ve said, ‘Well sign this for me or sign this.’ It was a frenzy.”
Sandiford-Artest: “He was definitely locked in. He was, for sure, locked in. But I didn’t bother him with getting things signed. I got stuff signed at the end of his career after he retired. I got his jersey signed. I waited like a year later.
I got every one of my kids a jersey signed. I got my mom and my ex-wife a jersey signed. I did it when she was my ex, by the way. She loved Kobe.”
Black: “Before, dudes were asking Kobe to sign things. But I didn’t. I remember sitting and thinking, ‘I don’t want to bombard him like that. I really want to hop up like everybody else. But everybody is already over there. I’m going to wait. So he signed my shoes afterwards. I still have my last game’s shoes. The Nike guys got the prototype of the black and gold Kobe 12s. We all got a pair of the all-black shoes with the gold swoosh. I got mine downstairs right now. Kobe signed them on the side.
The crazy thing is I would get him to sign shoes because me and my mother had my foundation back in Memphis. I would get him to sign shoes and then take them back to Memphis – with either his, Nick [Young] and Lou Williams and give them out to my campers if they won certain accolades. So when we played the Grizzlies, I also got Kobe to sign a pair of shoes and then I gave them to a young man.
I had gotten Kobe to sign three or five shoes throughout that season. I gave all of them away. So my mom was super mad in recent years with Kobe not being around with us anymore. She was upset because she didn’t know I had the last game shoes. So she was like, ‘I can’t believe you gave them away.’ This is our foundation together.
I said, ‘Mom, we both did that! We both gave the shoes away with our foundation.’ But I still have my shoes downstairs from Kobe’s last game.”
Sacre: “I remember us going into the locker room before the game having him sign everything. ‘Can you sign my jersey? Can you sign this? Can you sign that?’ I was the first person to ask him to sign his shoes. I got a pair of shoes signed when we played the Washington Wizards.
I said, ‘Hey man, when you’re done with this game, I want those shoes.’ You know me with him. I was the only one who would speak up to that guy. I think when you’re in it, you don’t even think about what a moment it was.
We were all preparing for our last game of the season and still wanting to compete and be professional at the same time.”
At what point in the game did you think Kobe was going to have a historic performance?
Scott: “It didn’t hit me until the second half of the fourth quarter. I wasn’t really paying attention to what he was scoring. It was more about trying to get him the ball and trying to come back and win the game.
I thought it would be fitting for him to win his last game as well as have a good game. But once he hit 30-something, I thought, ‘Wait a minute.’ I looked up during one of the timeouts when guys were going back on the floor and Kobe had 36 or something in the third quarter.
That’s when I thought, ‘Wait a minute. Oh my God! He might end up with 50!’
After that, every play it was, ‘Ya’ll get the hell out of the way and let Kobe do what he does. If he needs a screen, he’ll call you.’ (laughs). It wasn’t anything genius about it. It was more about making sure the guys understood that this was his moment. He got it going.
Even though there were a few times when he was on the bench and I looked at him. I turned around because normally when I stand up, my back is to the players and all of my coaches can see the players.
They were telling me one time, ‘Coach, he’s exhausted.’ But I told Kobe at halftime that he wasn’t coming out.
I said, ‘Unless you foul out, you’re not coming out the rest of this game.’
When I looked back at him and saw how heavy he was breathing, there were a couple of occasions when I asked him, ‘Do you have six more minutes left in that body of yours?’
He just looked up at me and said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘All right, let’s go.’
But the whole night was a little bit of a blur after he got going. Everything seemed to slow down and happened in phases. Everything slowed down bigtime.”
Sandiford-Artest: “I didn’t think it was going to be historic until the fourth quarter. Once you saw him get 39, I was like, ‘Oh sh—, he’s going to get 40 tonight!’ I thought that’s big. That’s a big night for Kobe.
That was already mind-blowing seeing that Kobe was going to get 40. That was historic enough. At that point, that was enough. He would have 40 on his way out. But he had something planned.”
Black: “We were all sitting there like, ‘He’s not making shots.’ When it first started, I felt like along with a few other guys, ‘Not this. Nah OG.’ We called him OG. We were like, ‘Nah OG, not this like this!’ I remember he hit a tough baseline jumper.
Then I thought, ‘Okay, that was tough.’ Then the buckets started pouring in. Then when you started seeing it. You’re like, ‘Yes, yes, it’s about to happen.’ Before then, it was like, ‘Nah, not like this’ because it started off a cold night for him.”
Sacre: “When he missed his first few shots, I thought, ‘Oh oh, it’s going to be one of those nights.’ But he locked in. What a performance, man. When shot after shot started falling in, you could just see the confidence.
That never disappeared in the first place. But you could see the confidence and the aura around him start to glow.”
What was the postgame scene like?
Scott: “What sticks with me the most was his address to the players afterwards. I know you guys weren’t privy to that. But before you guys could come in, the one thing that Kobe urged those guys to do was to play every game like it’s their last.
He said to Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and the other young guys that we had on that team that he felt he didn’t leave one stone unturned.
He did everything he could do for the game. He told the guys that he was leaving the game without any regrets because he gave it everything that he got.
When that game was over, those guys understood the magnitude of what this man just accomplished. They had the privilege and pleasure of being with him that whole year. I think it finally sunk into some of those guys that they just witnessed something that we might never see again.
It was really cool to watch him sign jerseys, sign papers or whatever else guys were putting in his face. I thought that was pretty cool.”
Sandiford-Artest: “It was like a championship game. Everybody was excited. That was our last game of the season. It was pretty wild. We ordered bottles of champagne.
It felt like the Lakers championship. It was so crazy. Everybody was there. When Kobe came in the locker room, we poured champagne on him. He was out on the court for quite some time. Then we put some champagne on him.
It was crazy. It was a great day.”
Black: “We were celebrating him. We were celebrating one of the greatest to ever play. So it might not be a championship. We didn’t make the playoffs that year. You can say whatever you want to about that season. But we were honoring one of the greatest to ever do it. That was worthy of a champagne shower. If anybody feels contrary, that’s up to them.
One of the greatest moments too about it was that I saw a kid in Kobe. He’s always a serious guy. But it was like we almost witnessed a weight coming off of his shoulder.
Pictures can’t do it justice on how he melted into that moment. He allowed himself to celebrate. He’s done it with his championships, for sure. But in those circumstances, he was preparing for the next one.
He often thought, ‘I’m going to enjoy this, but I have more to give because I’m chasing Jordan down to pass him. If I pass him, I’m going for Bill Russell. I have to win.’
But that champagne shower had a tail end to it. He’s done. I don’t know if this is true. But it was almost like a release.”
Sacre: “It was just a surreal moment all the way around. I saw almost a weight lifted off of his shoulder knowing that it was the end of something. But at the same time, you saw that competitive drive.
He was ready to show the whole world who he really was. You look back 10 years from now and you think, ‘Woah, what a surreal moment.’ You start thinking about those years.
For me, I’m just blessed that I was able to play four years with the guy. I got to learn so much. It was a blessing to be able to say that I played with that guy.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for EssentiallySports. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
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