Kobe Bryant‘s final NBA game, against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena in 2016, was a star-studded affair. A-listers from Hollywood, the music industry, and the business world flocked to see the five-time NBA champion in action one last time. With the world fixated on his final act, Bryant bowed out in style. Post-game, when one of the superstars in attendance, Kanye West, tried to greet and congratulate Bryant, the rapper faced an unexpected situation.
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In a quest to meet the Lakers legend, Ye was shooed away by the security guards and was left stranded outside the team’s locker room. West needed a savior and upstepped Lakers veteran Roy Hibbert. On the ‘Gary Parish Show’, the center revealed what went down post-game,
“We were all drinking in the locker room and I go outside to see my wife to get something signed from Kobe. And the security guard wouldn’t let Kanye West [enter the locker room]. He’s like right there at the front and they would not let Kanye West in.”
Hibbert added that he finally managed to take the hip-hop artist with him inside the locker room, “And I was like, ‘I told you guys it’s okay. I think Kobe is waiting for him and everything.’ So eventually I got Kanye in to see Kobe.”
Given the commotion, it’s understandable that the security guards did not let anyone through. However, West and Bryant had been friends for quite some time and even shot a hilarious Nike commercial together. Their friendship was the talk of the town and it was a shock that the security did not recognize him.
The situation could’ve escalated had security continued to prevent the 24-time Grammy winner from entering the locker room. Thankfully, Hibbert stepped in just at the right time to save the day for the Rapper, who was evidently excited to be a part of Lakers’ history.
Kanye West called Kobe Bryant ‘God’
After Hibbert helped Kanye clear security, the rapper shared a warm embrace with Bryant in the locker room, who was overjoyed to see his friend as he continued to soak in the adulation from everyone in attendance.
Ye was thrilled to be at the Lakers icon’s final game and even shared the ticket stub on X, with the caption,
“At the God’s last game.”
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Bryant had endured a difficult campaign until that point but wasn’t willing to go out on a whimper. Mamba exploded for 60 points and kept the wishes of his former teammate Shaquille O’Neal. He rode off into the sunset with one last Mamba Mentality moment as he helped the Lakers overturn a 15-point halftime deficit to lead them to victory before calling it a day on his glorious NBA career.
