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“I need 50 that night Kobe Bryant!”: When Shaq asked the Mamba to put up 50 on his last day and the Lakers legend obliged with 60!

Jeet Pukhrambam
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"I need 50 that night Kobe Bryant!": When Shaq asked the Mamba to put up 50 on his last day and the Lakers legend obliged with 60

Kobe Bryant was asked to channel his mamba mentality one last time and drop 50 upon Shaq’s request and he obliged with a 60pt night. 

April 13th, 2016, was the last time that the Mamba ever played NBA basketball. The most memorable part about that night was not that it was his last game, it was that he dropped 60 points. Typical Kobe.

Three weeks prior to that on March 22nd, 2016, Bryant joined the Inside the NBA crew for a post-game interview.

Here, he had a chance to speak with Shaq, and towards the tail-end of the conversation, Shaq asks him a good question.

Also read: “Kobe Bryant doesn’t pass? Then explain how he leads the finals in assists?”: The Black Mamba is one of five people in NBA history to lead their team in the dimes category

“Kobe Bryant, Can you promise me one thing?” Shaq asks his brother to fulfill his request in his last game

In the interview, Shaq asks Kobe to promise him one thing, as a brother Kobe says yes. “I need 50 that night,” says Shaq, and Kobe responds with a mischievous “uh… no!”.

Little did we know back then, that come Mamba day, Kobe would go on to drop 60! And cap off an incredible career night.

Shaq was in the building to see his friend, compatriot, and brother put up a monster performance in his final game. Safe to say, he would have felt good about that one.

Today on Mamba day, it is important to remember that Kobe Bryant was the epitome of what a player can do if they worked hard.

His Mamba mentality is something that a lot of players embody to this day and try to channel in their games. As we celebrate his life, we all can look back fondly and watch his performances, and be thankful to have a chance to watch the mamba go to work.

For all his work and sacrifice, we thank him, and he will be truly missed.

Also read: “I took great pride on seeing Kobe Bryant utilize my Fadeaways”: Michael Jordan had mixed feelings about spilling some of his secrets to The Black Mamba

About the author

Jeet Pukhrambam

Jeet Pukhrambam

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Jeet Pukhrambam is The SportsRush's Lead Editor for Basketball. After freelancing for five years as an independent writer, Jeet created thousands of blog posts and articles. He now covers intriguing news reports and throwback stories on all things NBA. His interest in NBA started with the ascendancy of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2016-17 season. Since then, Jeet has managed to coalesce his knowledge of the game and his writing to create pieces that are reflective of the current state of the league. Now, he ensures that The SportsRush produces the highest quality of writing. In his free time, he enjoys playing football, cooking, traveling, and dancing to techno. Jeet takes pride in his critical thinking, music playlists, and his love for spaghetti.

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