One thing was sure, no one was going to miss Kobe Bryant‘s final game in Purple and Gold. From former teammates like Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, and Shaquille O’Neal to legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and Jerry West, all were in attendance. Even A-list celebrities like Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, and Beyonce were at the Staples Center (Crypto.com Arena).

The Los Angeles Lakers legend announced retirement in November 2015, via Players’ Tribune. And just 5 months later, he was playing his final match. Even though he was 37 at the time, Kobe Bryant played and started only in 66 games from what could’ve been 82 games had he not been injured that season. With his performance in the final game, he truly showcased his Mamba Mentality.

Kobe Bryant and his unforgettable performance

In his 1,346th and final regular-season game of his illustrious 20-season career, Kobe Bryant scored 60 points while hitting the winning shot with 31.6 seconds left. He also scored 15 of the Lakers’ final 17 points. Thus, he outscored his opponent by (23-21) in the fourth quarter. “It’s hard to believe that it happened this way,” he said after achieving 60-plus points sixth time in his career. “I’m still in shock about it,” he remarked.

During the matchup, his teammates were encouraging him to take more shots. He took 50 shots in his final game, which had not been done since Rick Barry’s game in 1967. Additionally, his final point was an exact copy of his first.

The final free throw came like a full-circle moment because of his first point via a free throw in November 1996.”It’s surreal,” Kobe Bryant said after leaving the court for the last time. He added, “It’s hard to describe. It’s almost like you’re in a fog and everything is moving extremely slow yet extremely fast. You’re trying to look and take it all in. You’re trying to observe and you’re not quite sure where to look to just take it all in. Very difficult to do. But it’s like a dream.” However, it didn’t come without a fair share of struggles.

Kobe Bryant and his injury struggles

The 2x Finals MVP had multiple knee surgeries, and Achilles tendon surgeries, but a knee fracture made him miss the majority of the season. He could only feature in 6 games in 2013-14 and chose to focus on the next season. Kobe Bryant even admitted to his former teammate about his age catching up to him.

“He was like, ‘Nick, I’m good, I’m telling you that old sh** caught up to me,'” Nick Young revealed on Gil’s Arenas. Even when he couldn’t train properly, Kobe was still on the training table, getting work done, embodying the spirit of perseverance. Bryant’s final season was not a pretty one, to say the least.

The Lakers’ rebuilding resulted in a questionable team as they last qualified for the playoffs in 2012. However, Kobe Bryant’s multiple lower-body injuries over the last couple of seasons failed to put a dent in his last-day performance.

After a heartfelt speech thanking the fans, current and former teammates, coaches, mentors, and family, Kobe left the world with two final words that resonate in basketball fans’ ears to this day: “Mamba out.”

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.