Farewell, in Kobe’s own words

After Kobe Bryant finished his 60-point farewell performance and the game was in the books on April 13, 2016, he was given the microphone to address the Staples Center audience and the viewing public. Here is the transcript of his speech: “I grew up a die-hard, I mean a diehard Laker fan, die-hard. I knew everything about every player that has played here. So to be drafted and then traded to this organization and to spend 20 years here, you can’t write something better than this.

“It is not about the championships, it is about the down years. We did it the right way, we got our championships, all I can do is thank you guys, thank you guys for all the support, thank you guys for the motivation, thank you guys for the inspiration.

“The thing that had me cracking up all night long was that I go through 20 years of everybody screaming ‘pass the ball’ and on the last night everybody’s like ‘don’t pass it’ (followed by a big laugh).

“This has been, this has been absolutely beautiful, I can’t believe it comes to an end. You guys have been absolutely, absolutely beautiful. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you guys, I love you guys.

“My family, to my family, thank you guys for all your sacrifices. All the time I spend in the gym and training, Vanessa holding down the family like the way you have, Vanessa I can’t thank you enough, there is no way I can thank you enough for that. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

“What can I say, Mamba out.”