{"id":11073,"date":"2016-04-11T12:08:44","date_gmt":"2016-04-11T16:08:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=11073"},"modified":"2016-04-11T12:08:44","modified_gmt":"2016-04-11T16:08:44","slug":"kobe-bryant-leaves-a-mark-on-the-nba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2016\/04\/kobe-bryant-leaves-a-mark-on-the-nba.html","title":{"rendered":"Kobe Bryant Leaves a Mark on the NBA"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Kobe_Bryant_Drives2\"<\/a>Kobe Bryant, 17 time All-Star NBA player for the Los Angeles Lakers, is preparing to play his last game of his 20-year career on Wednesday. Byrant will be walking away with five NBA titles, securing his seat as a NBA icon.<\/p>\n

Sunday night, the Lakers took on the Houston Rockets but fell short despite Kobe\u2019s 35 points. The Lakers have endured the worst season in franchise history, but Bryant is still providing plenty of highlights and remains \u201ceternally optimistic\u201d about his last two games.<\/p>\n

Kobe Byrant will play his last away game on Monday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Bryant and the Lakers will play their final game at home on Wednesday against Utah, finishing out his Farewell Season.<\/p>\n

Bryant announced his final season during a press conference last November. Fans were not completely blindsided, given that Bryant had hinted towards the decision over the previous weeks. After two decades, Bryant\u2019s career finally began to wind down.<\/p>\n

“With 17 NBA All-Star selections, an NBA MVP, five NBA championships with the Lakers, two Olympic gold medals and a relentless work ethic, Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players in the history of our game,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “Whether competing in the Finals or hoisting jump shots after midnight in an empty gym, Kobe has an unconditional love for the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lakers team proudly supported Bryant during the last few months, despite the upcoming bittersweet goodbye. Lakers co-owner Jim Buss made a statement saying \u201cKobe Bryant is family. He\u2019s been on this team for 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s very clear to see that Kobe Bryant has a devoting love for the game. Despite multiple injuries over the past three years, Bryant has focused on performing at his absolute best.\u00a0Most are amazed that Bryant is still even playing; the average time an NBA player stays in the league is only 5-7 years. But against all odds Kobe Bryant is still standing. He is prepared for his final game at the Staples Center and ready to give his fans one last goodbye.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kobe Bryant, 17 time All-Star NBA player for the Los Angeles Lakers, is preparing to play his last game of his 20-year career on Wednesday. Byrant will be walking away with five NBA titles, securing his seat as a NBA icon. Sunday night, the Lakers took on the Houston Rockets but fell short despite Kobe\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":600,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2988,1162,50,2987,46,2979,2596],"class_list":["post-11073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-television","tag-all-star","tag-basketball","tag-kobe-bryant","tag-lakers","tag-nba","tag-retirement","tag-sports-2"],"yoast_head":"\nKobe Bryant Leaves a Mark on the NBA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kobe Bryant, after a 20-year career, is finishing his final season with the NBA with an optimistic outlook.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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