Kobe Bryant did mention that he got a big load off his shoulders when he announced his retirement a couple of days back. And now that the monkey has been taken out of his back, it seems that such has allowed him to flash forms of what made him one of the greatest players in the NBA.
For some reason, Bryant was able to recall that old deadly form, as he unloaded 31 points in a 108-104 win over the Wizards on 10-of-24 shooting from the field.
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The game was special because it would be Bryant’s final visit to Washington and the end couldn’t have been more fitting because the Lakers won just their third game of the season.
Seeing Kobe score that much does seem eye-popping at this juncture of his career, but if you compare it to the Kobe of old, the performance was still far from the Black Mamba everyone was fond of seeing, as shown by Yahoo Sports. But if you compare it to the shooting woes that Bryant has had so far, the performance is a big breakthrough.
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"To have that amount of appreciation and love is just a really beautiful feeling," Bryant said via ESPN after the Washington fans chanted his name toward the end of the game.
Many would want to see the Kobe of old but given that he seems to have accepted that his body can take only so much, coming at least close to the legacy he has set as an NBA player or as a Laker is something the fans will want to see.
And as the season winds down, that is perhaps the best consolation for the Laker fans. Knowing that, hopefully it doesn’t add the pressure already released on Bryant as he finishes off his final NBA season.
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