As one of the greatest players of all time, and certainly one of the greatest Lakers players of all time, Kobe Bryant finished his 2015-16 season in familiar Kobe fashion by scoring 60 points in a win against the Utah Jazz. Despite being a shell of his old self he went out as good as any all time great can.
Kobe’s 20-year career was one of the greatest ever. The 18-time all-star won 5 championships, 2 finals MVPs, 1 regular season MVP, was voted All-NBA first team 11 times, All-Defensive first team 9 times, etc. You get the picture. He had a fantastic career and is one of the best ever.
Now over a year has gone by since Kobe’s final game and not once have we heard about when the Lakers would retire his jersey. Until today that is.
According to TMZ Sports Kobe will have his jersey (jerseys?) retired on December 18th before a Warriors game:
Christmas is coming early for Kobe Bryant — the Lakers are planning to retire his jersey before the Warriors game on Dec. 18 … multiple sources tell TMZ S
TMZ Sports also states that while the Lakers haven’t made an official statement, they all but told season ticket holders directly:
The Lakers aren’t officially acknowledging it — but the team sent a letter to Lakers season ticket holders advising them to “hold on to your tickets for the game on Dec. 18” for a “special event.”
Now only one question remains. Which jersey will be retired? No. 8 or No. 24? He won 3 championships wearing No.8, but won 2 rings and an MVP with No. 24. Maybe both get retired? Whichever it is, mark your calendars down, Lakers fans. December 18th is a day you won’t want to miss.