Former LA Lakers star Lou Williams recently spoke about Kobe Bryant’s final NBA game, during his appearance on the Run it Back show. Talking about his former teammate, Williams claimed that Kobe adamantly wanted his teammates to play alongside him. Regardless, Williams was one of multiple veterans who refused and claimed that they wanted to be part of the audience for the special occasion.
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The LA Lakers won the match against Utah Jazz 101-96, while Kobe himself scored a whopping 60 points. This, however, was something he had already told his teammates, in advance.
“If I would have known how everything panned out, with the unfortunate passing and the timing of that. He actually asked us to play in that last game, and I said no. I said I want to watch just like everybody else. Coz he was telling us all weekend in practice, I am going for 60. I am gonna shoot the ball 60 times,” Williams said, expressing his regret in refusing Kobe’s offer.
Bryant died in 2016 as a result of a helicopter explosion. Had Williams known how things would have turned out, he would have jumped at the chance to play alongside the legend in his final game. Williams explained exactly how Kobe tried to convince the group.
“He was like, ‘Come on man, you all play.’ we were like hell no, we want to watch like everybody else. In hindsight I wish I would’ve took that opportunity, took the court with him that last time,” Williams revealed.
“[Kobe Bryant] asked us to play in the last game, and I said no, I said I want to watch just like everybody else…In hindsight I wish I would’ve took that opportunity, took the court with him that last time.”@TeamLou23 shares a story about Kobe Bryant’s last game.
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 14, 2023
Not only was Bryant determined to sign off once and for all with an epic performance of his own, but he also wanted his teammates to play alongside him. However, considering the sheer importance of the game, Lou Williams and company preferred to watch Kobe in action, rather than be a part of it.
Kobe Bryant treated fans during his final performance in the NBA
Bryant was determined to put on a real show for fans during his last-ever NBA appearance. Before it, he had appeared in a TNT show that saw Shaquille O’Neal challenge him to score 50 points, according to CBS Sports.
The 37-year-old responded with 60, something that Williams claimed he had said he would do all week. Bryant looked determined to score as many as possible, and took 50 shots in the game, including a whopping 21 3-point attempts.
While it wasn’t the most efficient of Kobe’s performances, he ensured that he led his team to a win in his final game as well. What’s more, Bryant ended up outsourcing the entire Jazz team in the 4th quarter. He added 23, while the entire Jazz roster could only muster 21, according to ESPN.
