Kobe Bryant’s Ex-teammate Says Lakers Legend “Wasn’t That Good” Until the Dying Minutes of His Last NBA Game
Kobe Bryant always left a mark on the lives of people he crossed paths with. The NBA icon dominated the floor for several years with his outstanding scoring abilities. There was absolutely nobody who did not fear defending the 5x NBA Champion, and their reasons were valid. Kobe played in the league for 20 years, and his stint proved that being dedicated to your craft can take you places.
His final game in the NBA was probably one of the most iconic times fans got to witness. The Los Angeles Lakers legend did not have a great run with the team nor was he having the best season in stats. However, he always made sure he proved people wrong when challenged. This was the same game Shaquille O’Neal challenged him to score 50 points. But Bryant surprised everybody with a 60-point masterpiece.
His ex-teammate from Team USA and current NBA player, Gordon Hayward claimed that Bryant barely played well throughout the game except during the final moments of it. During an appearance on Paul George’s podcast, he said, “I’m a big Kobe fan as well, so I don’t want to put that last game down for you, but we learned right before game time that the game didn’t matter… Somebody else had won.”
He added, “But I will say, we were up pretty handily most of the game. He probably airballed six or seven times. He shot 50 shots. I don’t think he was that good throughout most of the game. Now, in the last three minutes, he was special… It was vintage Kobe.” Up until his final game, Kobe Bryant had a rough season dealing with the Lakers. However, he surprised everybody with his performance.
Kobe Bryant’s stats from his last NBA game
Kobe Bryant barely had trouble being dominant on the floor throughout his career, Except during one season, he tore his Achilles and missed most of the 2013-14 campaign. During that season, he averaged only 13.8 points in six games. However, he never averaged below 20 points per game since the 1999 lockout season. But he had multiple single-digit games during the 2015-16 season and at some point, he didn’t seem like he carried a spark with him anymore.
He only averaged 17.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. It was his final game that shocked everybody. He scored 60 points on 50 field goal attempts while shooting only 44% from the field, 28.6% from deep, and 83.3% from the free throw line. Kobe also recorded 4 rebounds and assists with one steal and a single block. It was evident that he struggled to shoot. But his teammates knew Bryant deserved to lead the team during his last appearance.
