Kobe scored 60 points in his final game as he ended a glittering 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers which was the sixth time the NBA's third highest scorer had scored 60 points, beaten only by Wilt Chamberlain.
"You can't write something better than this," said 37-year-old Bryant, who helped the Lakers come from behind to beat Utah Jazz 101-96.
| Kobe Bryant stats |
|---|
| Five-time NBA champion |
| Third on the NBA's all-time scoring list |
| 18-time an All-Star, 11 times first-team All-NBA |
| Tops Lakers' all-time points, three-pointers, steals and games played |
Bryant, who made his debut in November 1996, finished with 33,643 career points - third on the NBA's all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928).
He checked out with 4.1 seconds left and hugged former team-mate Shaquille O'Neal as a sell-out crowd at the Staples Center chanted: "Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!''
Reflecting on his final game and a remarkable comeback that produced a fairytale victory, Bryant continued: "All night long my team-mates were just continuing to feed me the ball, I just had to take the challenge.
"I tried to not watch the news, to just stay in the present because I didn't want to come out here and completely stink it up - which I did for the first five minutes!
"I was just like, 'OK, I've got to settle down'. Defensively I got some plays - I got some steals, I got a block - and that kind of got me into the game a little bit."
Lakers legend Magic Johnson had earlier told the crowd: "He never cheated us as fans. He has played hurt, and we have five championship banners to show for it."
US President Barack Obama and Football legend Pele joined in with the tributes, tweeting: "farewell for an all-timer".
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