Kobe Bryant recently announced his retirement over the weekend and fittingly, his first game on his retirement tour saw Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Philadelphia 76ers. On the outskirts of Philly, Bryant became a young star at Lower Merion High School and when he was a kid, he actually wished he was a member of the 76ers.
Kobe: "Honestly, in high school, I hoped to be a Sixer."
— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) December 1, 2015
Kobe Bryant was such a staple in Philly sports in his youth that the 76ers made the video above as a part of their preview for the Lakers legend final stop in Philly and it was the start of something great.
Before Kobe took the court for player introductions, he was presented a gift from 76ers great Dr. J, Julius Irving, and his old high school coach at Lower Merion, Gregg Downer.
.@kobebryant's last game in Philly, Dr. J and Lower Merion coach, Gregg Downer give him his HS Jersey.
#Lakers
https://t.co/5NdJeMbwAS
— NBA On Def Pen (@NBAOnDefPen) December 2, 2015
Then as the game was getting ready to start, Kobe was shown an immense amount of love by the Philly fans when he was getting introduced.
The game started, Kobe Bryant had a horrible shooting night and the Los Angeles Lakers were defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers. It was Philly’s first win after an 0-18 start and a 28 game losing streak but that still seemed like a secondary story in comparison to Kobe’s night in Philly. He was sent off by Philly fans cheering his name, despite the fact that he played poorly and his team lost.
Philly fans chanting for Kobe even though their team won.
#Lakers #Sixers pic.twitter.com/RAVdyzSA8e
— NBA On Def Pen (@NBAOnDefPen) December 2, 2015
It’s awesome to see Philly show Kobe Bryant a ton of love but how much of it will be warranted? Can Kobe stop his poor play and just ride off into the sunset? Hopefully so because seeing him take 17 three pointers and hit less than half is not a great sign.
