Nobody actually expected it to happen. Not like that. When Kobe Bryant walked onto the hardwood at Staples Center on April 13, 2016, the vibe was more like a funeral for a legend than a competitive basketball game. The Lakers were coming off a nightmare 17-65 season. Kobe’s body was essentially held together by medical tape and sheer willpower.
Then he took his first shot. Clank.
✨ Don't miss: India Australia Cricket Match: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
He missed his first five shots, actually. It looked like the "Black Mamba" was finally out of venom. The jumper was hitting the front of the rim. He looked every bit of 37 years old. But then, something shifted. A block on Gordon Hayward led to a transition bucket, and the engine started humming. By the time the final buzzer rang, we weren't just watching a retirement ceremony; we were witnessing the most absurd, self-indulgent, and magnificent farewell in the history of professional sports.
The Magic Number: Breaking Down Kobe Last Game Points
Let’s talk about the raw data because it’s honestly hard to wrap your head around even a decade later. Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in his final NBA game. To put that in perspective, no other player in the history of the league has ever scored that many in a retirement game. Not Jordan. Not Kareem. Not Magic. Most legends go out with a respectable 15 or 20 points, maybe a few rebounds and a standing ovation. Kobe went out by shooting the ball 50 times.
That is not a typo. 50 field goal attempts.
A Statistical Anomaly
It was the most shots taken by any player in a single game since 1983. Honestly, the box score looks like a video game where someone just taped down the "shoot" button.
- Total Points: 60
- Field Goals: 22-of-50 (44%)
- Three-Pointers: 6-of-21
- Free Throws: 10-of-12
- Minutes Played: 42
People love to argue about the efficiency. "He shot 21 threes!" they say. Yeah, he did. And he missed 15 of them. But here’s what the box score doesn’t tell you: the Utah Jazz were actually playing for something that night—or at least they thought they were until the Houston Rockets won their game earlier in the evening, officially knocking Utah out of the playoffs. Even so, they weren't just "letting" him score. They were doubling him. They were physical. Kobe just didn't care.
The Fourth Quarter Takeover
The Lakers were down by 15 points with about ten minutes left in the game. It looked like a blowout loss. But Kobe decided he wasn't going out on a "L."
🔗 Read more: Aaron Gordon Black Eye: What Really Happened With the Nuggets Forward
He scored 23 points in the fourth quarter alone. At one point, he scored 17 consecutive points for the Lakers. It was vintage Mamba—the scowl, the footwork, the impossible fadeaways over two defenders. With 59 seconds left, he hit a 26-foot three-pointer to bring the Lakers within one. The building was shaking. Literally.
Then, with 31 seconds left, he pulled up for a 20-foot jumper. Swish. Lakers lead 97-96.
The most "Kobe" moment of the entire night, however, wasn't a shot. It was a pass. In the final seconds, after being fouled and hitting two free throws to reach 60, he threw a full-court outlet pass to Jordan Clarkson for a dunk. It was a hilarious, poetic middle finger to the critics who spent 20 years calling him a "ball hog."
Why Those 60 Points Still Matter
You’ve got to understand the context of 2016. The Golden State Warriors were busy winning their 73rd game that same night, breaking the 1996 Bulls' record. That was supposed to be the biggest story in sports. Instead, half the world was glued to ESPN2 watching an aging icon hoist up 50 shots against the Jazz.
It was the ultimate manifestation of "Mamba Mentality." Most players lose their legs by the middle of the third quarter when they haven't played heavy minutes all season. Kobe was exhausted. You could see him gasping for air during every timeout. Yet, he kept attacking. He didn't just want the points; he wanted the win.
Records Shattered in One Night
- Oldest player to score 60 points in a game (37 years, 234 days).
- Most points in a season finale in NBA history.
- Highest usage rate in a single game (over 62%).
The "Mamba Out" Moment
When it was over, Kobe stood at center court, sweat-drenched and draped in a yellow towel. His speech was legendary. He joked about how for two decades everyone yelled at him to pass, and on his final night, they were screaming for him to shoot.
"What can I say?" he asked the crowd. "Mamba out."
He dropped the mic, kissed his fingers, and walked into the tunnel. It was a Hollywood ending for a guy who spent his whole life playing a villain or a hero, depending on which jersey you were wearing.
🔗 Read more: T.J. Watt: Why the Steelers Star is Staying Put in Pittsburgh
How to Apply the "Mamba Mentality" Today
If you're looking for the takeaway from those kobe last game points, it isn't "shoot the ball 50 times at your local YMCA." It's about the preparation that allows a 37-year-old with a torn Achilles and a fractured knee to even attempt that.
- Focus on the Process: Kobe always said the "dream" wasn't the championships; it was the 4:00 AM workouts when you’re tired but do it anyway.
- Accept the High Stakes: He wasn't afraid to go 0-for-50. The fear of failure didn't exist because the desire to compete was louder.
- Finish Strong: Regardless of how the "season" of your project or career has gone, you have the agency to control how you finish.
To truly honor that legacy, go back and watch the full fourth-quarter highlights. Don't just look at the highlights of the makes. Watch the possessions where he looks like he can barely run, then somehow finds the energy to beat his man to the spot. That’s where the 60 points actually came from.
Next Steps for Fans:
Study the footwork in that final game. Specifically, watch how Kobe uses his pivot foot in the high post during the third quarter to create space when his vertical leap was gone. If you're a player or a coach, that game is a masterclass in scoring using leverage and IQ rather than raw athleticism.