It’s been one month since Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash and fans are still mourning the loss of the Los Angeles Lakers legend. And with the public memorial that took place on Monday that honored Bryant as his 13-year old daughter Gianna who also died in the helicopter crash, the hashtag “Kobe Farewell” has been trending on Twitter, with one fan tweeting a video of Bryant walking onto the Staples Center for the final time during his jersey retirement ceremony.
#KobeFarewell Kobeโs last official walk onto the Staples Center floor for his retirement jersey celebration pic.twitter.com/CZpEb5anKQ
โ samueljfox (@samueljfox2) February 26, 2020
Bryant’s jerseys were retired in 2017 after he retired from the NBA at the end of the 2016 season. During his speech, Bryant talked about what legacy means to him.
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“It is hard to put into words,” Bryant said at the time per ESPN. “Growing up and watching all these great players play and learning so much from them, to now be a part of that wall means everything to me. Legacy is really important in the sense of what we have done is awesome, but what is more important for a legacy is how that affects the next generation. For the jerseys up there now, the impact it had on me, which led us to this moment now is the true [indication of a legacy].”
Another Lakers legend, Magic Johnson introduced Bryant to the crowd and he called him the “the greatest who ever wore the purple and gold.”
“For 20 years, he thrilled us and made us scratch our head — what did we just see and witness — and he gave us five NBA championships,” Johnson said. “I hope that you recorded every game and I hope you are doing the same thing tonight because there will never ever be another Kobe Bryant.
“Who can remember when he scored 81 points in a game?” Johnson continued. “And last but not least, there will never be an athlete in his last performance to top this man’s performance, 60 points! Man! … Kobe, Jerry West called me the day you worked out and he said, ‘Earvin, I just witnessed the greatest workout I have ever seen in my entire life,’ and Jerry, you were absolutely right.”
Bryant wore No. 8 and No. 24 during his career and both jerseys and now hanging above the Staples Center. He finished his career with five NBA championships, one MVP award, two NBA Finals MVPs and 18 All-Star appearances.