Kobe Bryant to retire after win over Utah Jazz last night

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by Alex Wang, Reporter

Kobe Bryant played in his final game yesterday, ending his NBA career with a 101-96 win over the Utah Jazz. Bryant scored 60 points from 22 out of 50 shooting and added four rebounds and four assists.

Bryant set a new record for the NBA with his 50 attempted shots in the game. He is also second for number of games with over 60 points, after Wilt Chamberlain, a former player for the Warriors and the Lakers.

Many upper school fans saw Bryant’s final game as the perfect ending to his 20-year career.

“It was pretty much the perfect ending for Kobe Bryant. He dropped 60 points, including an extremely clutch performance at the end. It was truly vintage Kobe. As a Celtics fan, I always rooted against Kobe and he broke my heart multiple times. I’ll truly miss his competitive nature and killer mentality,” Shasvat Jawahar (11) said.

Others reflected on Bryant’s contribution to the sport and his impact on the league.

“I’m not even a Lakers fan but I was emotional after that game. [Bryant] was a relatively controversial person in his time but his contribution to the game of basketball and all the work he has put in and all the incredible moments he’s given to the fans made it really a bittersweet moment as he went out,” Evan Lohn (12) said.

Bryant ended the game with an assist, which Lohn found to be uncharacteristic, as Bryant has consistently been associated with taking shots rather than passing the ball.

“[Bryant] ended his career with an assist, which is pretty remarkable,” he said.

The Lakers did not advance to the playoffs, so the final game of the regular season was also Bryant’s last game in his career.