Kobe Bryant was honored by the Los Angeles Lakers as they retired both his No 8 and No 24 jerseys on Monday night.
The ceremony took place at the Staples Center at halftime as the Lakers took on the Golden State Warriors.
In an NBA first, Los Angeles opted to retire both numbers because Bryant, who retired in 2016, spent his first 10 seasons wearing No 8 and his final 10 in No 24.
Ahead of the game, the Lakers hosted a Kobeland street festival outside the arena featuring a Kobe-inspired Ferris wheel, interactive games, a shootout game and a live DJ.
Kobe Bryant was honored by the Los Angeles Lakers as they retired both his No 8 and No 24 jerseys on Monday night (pictured, at halftime)
In an NBA first, Los Angeles opted to retire both numbers because Bryant, who retired in 2016, spent his first 10 seasons wearing No 8 and his final 10 in No 24
Ahead of the game, the Lakers hosted a Kobeland street festival outside the arena featuring a Kobe-inspired Ferris wheel, interactive games, a shootout game and a live DJ
Bryant led the Lakers to five championships during his 20-season career, three while wearing No 8 and two while wearing No 24 (Pictured, the Ferris wheel at Kobeland)
During his career, Bryant won two NBA Finals MVP awards and one regular-season MVP, and he is third on the all-time NBA points list (Pictured, fans enjoy games at Kobeland ahead of the ceremony)
The ceremony, which took place later, began with Kobe’s short film, ‘Dear Basketball’, which played on the arena Jumbotron (Pictured, Lakers fans attend Kobeland prior to the Lakers-Warriors game on Monday)
The ceremony, which took place later, began with Kobe’s short film, ‘Dear Basketball’, which played on the arena Jumbotron. Bryant was then introduced by fellow Lakers jersey retiree Magic Johnson.
The Lakers president briefly touched on politics at the end of his speech as he told Bryant he needs to use his platform to help unite this country.
‘The thing, Kobe, is this, brother: We need you right now. When I look into this audience, there [are] all races of people [who] come together, cheered you on for 20 years. And this country needs to come together,’ Johnson said.
‘And you were able to bring us all together – the city and Los Angeles – for 20 years. So I want to thank you for that.’
Both players criticized President Donald Trump for his remarks after Stephen Curry announced that he would not attend the White House if the Warriors were invited following their 2016 NBA Finals win.
After the introductions, Bryant’s jerseys were revealed, one on each side of former Lakers announcer Chick Hearn’s in the rafters of Staples Center.
‘Thank you so much for tonight. But it’s not about my jerseys that are hanging up there for me,’ Bryant told the crowd.
‘It’s about the jerseys that were hanging up there before. Without them, I couldn’t be here today. They inspired me to play the game at a higher level.’
According to Baxter Holmes of ESPN, Bryant’s first jersey number (left and right) came from the number he wore at Adidas ABCD Camp, 143, whose digits add up to eight, as well as the number he wore in Italy
He switched to No 24 in the 2006-07 season, the number he had in high school at Lower Merion (Pictured, Bryant in February 2012)
Bryant posed with his wife (second from left) and three daughters at halftime after both his No 8 and No 24 Los Angeles Lakers jerseys are retired at Staples Center on Monday
Bryant led the Lakers to five championships during his 20-season career, three while wearing No 8 and two while wearing No 24. He’s also the franchise leader in several categories, including points (33,643), games played (1,346), three-pointers made (1,827) and steals (1,944).
During his career, Bryant won two NBA Finals MVP awards and one regular-season MVP, and he is No 3 on the all-time NBA points list behind Karl Malone who played for the Utah Jazz and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who also has his jersey retired by the Lakers.
According to Baxter Holmes of ESPN, Bryant’s first jersey number came from the number he wore at Adidas ABCD Camp, 143, whose digits add up to eight, as well as the number he wore in Italy.
He switched to No 24 in the 2006-07 season, the number he had in high school at Lower Merion.
The Lakers star told the network that there was a different mentality in wearing the two numbers.
Bryant was introduced by fellow Lakers jersey retiree Magic Johnson (pictured, left, with Bryant), who touched on politics at the end of his speech as he told Bryant he needs to use his platform to help unite this country
Following the introductions, Bryant’s jerseys were revealed, one on each side of former Lakers announcer Chick Hearn’s in the rafters of Staples Center (pictured)
The Lakers star said that there was a different mentality in wearing the two numbers, with No 8 being the era in which he had to prove himself and No 24 an era of maturity (Pictured, Bryant, left, and Shaquille O’Neal shake hands at halftime)
‘When I first came in at eight, is really trying to ‘plant your flag’ sort of thing,’ Bryant said. ‘I got to prove that I belong here in this league. I’ve got to prove that I’m one of the best in this league.
‘Then 24 is a growth from that. Physical attributes aren’t there the way they used to be, but the maturity level is greater. Marriage, kids. Start having a broader perspective being one of the older guys on the team now, as opposed to being the youngest.’
Despite the celebratory night for Laker fans, it was soon dampened in their heartbreaking 116-114 loss to the Warriors.
Kevin Durant scored 36 points and hit a tie-breaking 22-foot jumper with 7.3 seconds left in overtime for the Warriors’ ninth consecutive victory.