Kobe Bryant has farewelled the NBA with vintage performance in a 101-96 win over the Utah Jazz at the Staples Center.
After a lengthy send-off ahead of the game featuring the likes of Magic Johnson and Red Hot Chilli Peppers bass player Flea, Bryant missed his first five shots of the game as his Lakers teammates looked to get him the ball at every opportunity.
But Bryant soon found his groove en route to 60 points having taken an NBA-record 50 shots, and hit the go-ahead basket after the Lakers had trailed for the entire game until the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
Bryant sealed the win with two free-throws to give his side a five-point lead before leaving the floor with 4.1 seconds remaining in the game.
Neither team had anything to play for with Utah Jazz being knocked out of playoff contention 20 minutes before tip-off following the Houston Rockets win over the Sacramento Kings to claim the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Watch the video for all the highlights.
Newshub.
