Bryant Just Wants to Relish Final All-Star Game Moment
TORONTO—The noise became louder with every move Kobe Bryant made.
He stood up from a press table and groaned. Bryant moved his feet and winced. Bryant then uttered “Oh God,” before stepping from the platform to the ground. He then walked gingerly after sitting for almost 12 minutes.
Moments earlier, the Lakers’ 37-year-old star provided a sober analysis on the state of his body.
“I feel horrible,” Bryant said following the Lakers’ loss to Cleveland on Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena. “Seriously. My ankles, knees, everything. This stretch couldn’t come at a better time.”
It could be better, though.
The Lakers (11-43) will rest during the nearly week-long NBA All-Star break that started Thursday and concludes on Wednesday. Coach Byron Scott will vacation in Mexico. Forward Julius Randle will relax in the Bahamas. And other players will stay in Los Angeles.
But Bryant will spend the first part of the break participating here in NBA All-Star weekend. He will start for the Western Conference on Sunday at Air Canada Centre in what marks his 18th selection to the All-Star game. That marks the second-most selections behind the 19 All-Star games former Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played.
As another reminder of his aging body, Bryant will appear in his first All-Star game after missing the previous two because of season-ending injuries to his left knee and right shoulder, respectively.
Bryant’s itinerary will also remain endless, with countless media and endorsement obligations today and Saturday.
“It is busy, but it’s also very selective,” Bryant said. “So there’s certain things that we’ll do that’s short bursts of appearances. But nothing too long. Nothing where I’m on my feet for long periods of time.”
In between, Bryant plans to receive endless treatment that will include ice baths, massages and rest. He will also stay with his family at a hotel different than the one accommodating other NBA All-Stars, both to maximize recovery time and to maximize privacy. Bryant then pointed out he will have days off on Monday and Tuesday, during which he will “do nothing.”
Kobe addresses the crowd while fellow Lakers legend Magic Johnson and his All-Star contemporaries look on. The 2015 All-Star Game in Toronto was the last of his storied career. (AP Images)
Scott joked he will watch Sunday’s game only if “they got the game on the golf course on the 15th hole.” Scott also joked that he will text San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich not to play Bryant 37 minutes, considering the Lakers will then play next Friday against the Spurs at Staples Center.
“Pop is great,” Scott said. “I don’t worry about that.”
But Scott did worry enough about Bryant to voice concerns to him before parting ways during the break.
“‘I know you’re not going to get a bit of sleep,’” Scott recalled saying. “‘I know it’s going to be very taxing on you. Everybody wants to pay a tribute to you in some form or fashion.’”
And then there’s the game itself.
Bryant has accomplished plenty, with four All-Star MVPs (2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011). He has set All-Star game records for points scored (280), most field goals made (115) and most steals (37, tied with Michael Jordan). But amid Bryant’s last season, TNT analyst and former Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal suspected Bryant will try to collect an All-Star record fifth MVP award to surpass Bob Pettit.
“If he can find his stroke and get it going a little bit, I can guarantee you he’s going to go for the MVP,” O’Neal said in a conference call this week. “It’s his last one. Why not go out with a bang?”
Bryant reacted to O’Neal’s argument with the same dismissiveness as when they butted heads over their respective roles in their eight years together on the Lakers (1996-2004).
“Why? I’m good. I’m good. I’m good,” Bryant said. “I’ll make a couple jump shots and try to play the best I can. But I’m OK.”
Bryant’s eyes then lit up and his tone softened when he spoke giddily about what he wants to experience in his last All-Star game.
“Enjoy being around the guys,” Bryant said. “Seriously, this is crazy. This is 20 years for me, that’s more than half my life playing in the NBA and being in the locker room.”
Kobe Bryant reacts to the crowd as he leaves the game during second half of NBA All-Star action in Toronto. Teammate and Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry looks on and claps. (AP Images)
Bryant then noted he could have “babysat” Golden State guard Stephen Curry when Bryant first entered the NBA. Bryant remarked he knew Warriors guard Klay Thompson “when he was a young kid.” Bryant expressed giddiness on appearing in his eighth All-Star game with Cleveland forward LeBron James and his fourth All-Star appearance with Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant.
“I can’t wait to be around them and just talk to them and see how far the game has progressed and seeing all this young talent and the different generations of players,” Bryant said. “I’ll be able to sit in the locker room and seriously just look at it all and just smile and just take it all in.”
By that point, Bryant’s nostalgia amid the adulation from peers and fans may overwhelm him enough that he will not think about the pain he currently nurses.