On Monday night, Kobe Bryant was honored by his former team LA Lakers who retired both of his jerseys (#8 & #24) in the rafters of the Staples Center. Past & present players were all in attendance to pay their respects to one of the best to ever do it, including Shaq, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, & even Allen Iverson to name just a few.
But before Kobe had some words to say to the crowd at halftime of the Lakers x Warriors game, he sat down with the media and discussed Monday night’s ceremony first.
"It is hard to put into words," Bryant said of the moment. "Growing up and watching all these great players play and learning so much from them, to now be a part of that wall means everything to me. Legacy is really important in the sense of what we have done is awesome, but what is more important for a legacy is how that affects the next generation. For the jerseys up there now, the impact it had on me which led us to this moment now is the true [indication of a legacy]."
Then Kobe finally addressed the sold-out crowd during halftime, where he spoke about his appreciate for the fans’ support & his love for basketball & Lakers nation. However prior to that though, the festivities began with an animated feature (complete with Disney-level music) that was actually created in conjunction with Bryant himself, which you can see for yourself below.
https://twitter.com/_/status/942985713162903552
If you happened to have missed it live on NBA TV, check out some of the highlights from the momentous ceremony (below). Mamba out.
https://twitter.com/_/status/942987215365341185
https://twitter.com/_/status/942988386893221888
https://twitter.com/_/status/942989701505601536
