Vanessa Bryant Reflects on Kobe's Retirement on Anniversary of Final Lakers Game
Four years after her late husband, Kobe Bryant, played his final game, Vanessa Bryant reflected on the last time he stepped onto an NBA court.
"My husband worked his ass off for 20 years," she wrote on Instagram. "Gave it his all. All he wanted was to spend time with our girls and me to make up for lost time. He wanted to be there for every single milestone and special moment in our girls lives. He only got to enjoy 3 years and 9 months of retirement."
Bryant dropped 60 points in a 101-96 victory over the Utah Jazz on April 13, 2016. He also scored the go-ahead bucket with 31.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The 18-time All-Star had announced in November 2015 he would retire after the season, allowing fans at Staples Center to give him a proper send-off as he closed his legendary career. Between his scoring outburst and late-game heroics, he couldn't have written a better ending.
Bryant died in a helicopter crash in January that also killed his daughter Gianna and seven others: John, Alyssa and Keri Altobelli; Christina Mauser; Payton and Sarah Chester; and Ara Zobayan.
Bryant earned enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility earlier this month. He'll be posthumously inducted in a class that includes Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and WNBA star Tamika Catchings.
