Calling the Script ‘Too Unbelievable’, Kobe Bryant Revealed He Had 0 Idea He Would Score 60 Points in His Final Game

On April 13, 2016, the Golden State Warriors created history by becoming the first NBA team to win 73 games. However, this rare achievement was overshadowed by Kobe Bryant, who poetically dropped 60 points in the last game of his 20-year Lakers career. Veteran photographer Andrew D. Bernstein captured Bryant capping off his career cinematically from start to finish. After a couple of years, in 2018, Kobe made an appearance on Bernstein’s podcast to delve deeper into his 60-point masterpiece. 

While alluding to the final day of the 2015-16 Regular Season, Bernstein asked the Mamba if he had any idea that “his day would end up the way it did”. The Lakers legend admitted that he had “zero” idea that he’d drop 60 points to close the curtains on his career. He even confessed that had he gotten the script of his final NBA game indicating a similar outcome, he’d have brushed it off.

“If that script showed up on my desk and I am reading it. I would tell them to rewrite it, it’s too unbelievable,” Bryant told the veteran photographer.

 

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Bernstein then recalled how the Staples Center had never “gone that crazy” for a Regular Season game. Kobe admitted that the Lakers fans were cheering as if it were a playoff game.

He then also highlighted that he’d been focussed on the off-court aspects of his farewell season. But when the gameday arrived, he knew that it was time to stamp his authority for one last time. At any rate, the 60–point masterpiece had an intriguing subplot.

Shaquille O’Neal asked for 50, and Kobe gave him 10 more

A few days before his final game, Kobe Bryant appeared on Inside the NBA to talk about the end of his NBA journey. During the sit-down, Shaquille O’Neal urged Bryant to promise him that he’d drop 50 points in his last game to finish his celebrated Lakers journey on a high note. The 18x All-Star laughed at the notion and replied, “No, Absolutely not”.

However, the Mamba even exceeded the 50-point barrier set up by his former championship teammate. During the 2015-16 end-of-the-season presser, Kobe was asked about his riveting 60-point performance and if that was “the perfect ending” to his career.

The 5x NBA champion downplayed the notion and expressed that if he had won an NBA championship then that’d been his dream ending. At the same time, he admitted that he relished showing his unparalleled skills for “one last time”.

Although he couldn’t fulfill his desire to win his sixth championship to tie Michael Jordan, the Lakers legend departed in the most fitting way possible. He not only put up 60 points, but also carried his team to a win.