If you don’t follow the NBA much, you might have thought the Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th league championship Wednesday night. Purple-and-gold confetti fell from the Staples Center rafters after the final buzzer, and celebratory champagne flowed in the Lakers’ locker room.
However, the party was for Kobe Bryant, the Lakers legend whose career ended after 20 seasons and five NBA titles. After Bryant dropped 60 points in a win over the Utah Jazz, his teammates actually broke out champagne to mark the occasion.
60 points in career game 1,566?? Let's pop some 🍾 #ThankYouKobe pic.twitter.com/x3M0NjlvRk
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 14, 2016
Kobe's response to teammates spraying him w/ champagne: "That's only for championships."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) April 14, 2016
This might be a weird way to celebrate a retirement, but hey, we should let the Lakers have their fun. After all, they just suffered through the worst season in franchise history with a 17-65 record, and they don’t have a bright future in terms of young talent.
Wednesday night might have been the last celebration in Laker land for a while.
Thumbnail photo via Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports Images
