BOSTON — For once, Kobe Bryant was welcomed at TD Garden.
The Los Angeles Lakers forward played his final game in Boston on Wednesday night with a 112-104 win over the Celtics, and he actually was well received by Boston fans. Bryant greatly appreciated the gesture, even when the fans began to boo him once the game started.
“It was unbelievable,” Bryant said. “It felt great to get booed. The recognition at the top of the game, and then as soon as I touched the ball and they booed, I was like, ‘Ahh.’ It felt great.”
Bryant loves the boos because it encourages him to be better. He said before the game that the rival Celtics were an important part of his career, and he said afterward that the fans play just as much of a role in his legacy.
“Honestly, if I could chant for them, I would,” Bryant said. “I don’t think the fans here really understand how much they drove me. From the singing of the songs, the shaking of the bus going back to the hotel, that stuff really stuck with me. I mean, it drove me to maniacal proportions. … So I don’t really think they really understand what they meant to my career.”
While Bryant spent his entire 20-year career as the Celtics’ biggest rival in purple and gold, he doesn’t believe his career would be the same without Boston. And walking across the Garden parquet for the last time is something Bryant always will remember.
“It’s just a surreal feeling, honestly,” Bryant said. “I wish I could do more to show my gratitude to them. And I just tried to say thank you as much as I possibly could. And it’s a weird feeling, walking across the center court, looking down at that logo. … Just trying to cherish it as much as possible.”
In fact, Bryant wholeheartedly believes he’ll be back in Boston once he’s retired.
“Absolutely will,” Bryant said. “You know it’s the history here. It’s a culture. In L.A., everything’s so new. You don’t really feel the culture and our history. So to be able to walk around here and see the buildings and the people, it’s special.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
