More than 7 years ago, Kobe Bryant retired from the NBA after a dominant performance against the Utah Jazz, his last dance on the hardwood. The Los Angeles Lakers icon scored 60 points in his final game in the City of Angels before bidding farewell to the league. The unforgettable night is still a fond memory for Lakers fans and most NBA fans. However, NBA commentator Jason Whitlock criticized the shooting guard publicly after the game, contesting his image as an all-time great.
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On that night, Bryant registered the stat line of 60-4-4 in the franchise’s 101-96 home win. He made a total of 50 field goal attempts, shooting 44% overall in his 42 minutes on the court. His efforts paid dividends as the 5x champion declared, “Mamba out,” after gifting an entertaining night to the supporters.
Despite the historic occasion, Kobe was subjected to harsh criticism a day later as Whitlock made an appearance on The Herd. “I looked at that game last night and it spoke to everything that I have always thought about Kobe. A narcissistic person who pleasures himself at the expense of everyone else,” the veteran host said.
“Michael Jordan didn’t end his career this way. Many of the all-time greats don’t end their career that way,” Whitlock added, criticizing Bryant for his on-court selfishness. The former ESPN columnist had a point of contention with Kobe hogging the ball and taking all the shots for the Lakers. “It’s a team game,” he blurted out.
While Whitlock was not entirely wrong about Kobe hogging the ball that night, as Colin Cowherd pointed out, the crowd had showed up that night to witness Kobe’s last dance. Therefore, the Mamba was justified in giving everyone one last show before he hung up his boots. Kobe’s high-volume shooting and reluctance to pass the ball irked many of his peers throughout his career. However, it was a bit harsh for Whitlock to bring that up after the curtains dropped on one of the greatest careers in NBA history.
Is Whitlock Kobe’s harshest critic?
During the 2011 All-Star weekend, Whitlock exaggerated one of the comments from Kobe, which prompted the Mamba to respond accordingly. “Wow. That’s a Bikram yoga stretch. You stretched the hell out of it. Good job. I’m not even gonna answer that. That’s just silly. Next,” the Lakers star responded, publicly embarrassing the 56-year-old.
Since then, Whitlock had been particularly vocal about Kobe’s lack of effort in playing with the team, criticizing the Black Mamba for it on several instances. “He is not a golfer. He is not a tennis player. His narcissism and selfishness destroyed a franchise,” Whitlock once infamously declared. The veteran journalist, therefore, put the blame on the decline of the Lakers during Kobe’s retirement on the Mamba. He also questioned Kobe’s legacy as a great Laker despite winning five Championships for the LA side.
Whether Whitlock held a personal grudge against Kobe or all of these were his professional opinions, he certainly qualifies as one of Kobe’s harshest critics.
