Kobe Fucking Bryant

Kobe Bryant scores 60 points and gets the win in his last game ever! #ThankYouKobehttps://t.co/Ka4Ve8Sz2n

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 14, 2016

​Validation! Validation! I know it wasn't exactly a popular opinion that I valued watching Kobe Bryant's last game over the Warriors quest for 73, but it sure did pay off. Now, of course I was channel surfing between the two - as well as a little playoff hockey - but my main priority was to see what 'The Black Mamba' had in store for his finale, and I'll be damned if it wasn't the grandest of them all. Sure, the game lagged at times, and there were moments in the second half where Kobe Bryant looked every day of his age as a few of his jumpers fell short and his defense looked particularly lackluster. Those moments - however - were overshadowed by what has to be the best sports sendoff short of a championship winning performance.

Only the truest of Kobe haters - or people that didn't actually bother to watch the game in real time - will talk about his absurdly high amount of shot attempts, because as Kobe put up 17 straight points and willed his team to one last victory that was the furthest thing from the mind of the viewing public.  60 goddamn points?! Leave it him to save his best for last. Leave it to one of the best competitors of our day to add so much flare to an unexpectedly dramatic moment. You can hate Kobe Bryant all you want and I wouldn't blame you, but if you didn't love his 4th quarter performance last night then you can't call yourself a sports fan. Steph Curry had 20 points in the first quarter, made his 400th 3-pointer of the season, and led his team to the best regular season record of all time, and he deserves all the credit in the world for that. However, by the end of the night the 37 year old man that was banished to ESPN2 had him playing second fiddle. As the best player on the best team in the league, he'll surely have plenty more moments in the sun, but last night Kobe Bryant stole his shine, and for one last time all eyes were on him. Kobe fucking Bryant. That's why we watch sports. For moments just like that. The last chapter ends with a bang. 20 years in the books, Mamba out...
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