Kobe Bryant probably would have taken over Monday night’s game for the Los Angeles Lakers and led them to a win in overtime if he were still playing, but instead he was forced to watch from the stands. Fortunately, Kobe didn’t have to witness his former team lose.
Just before the Lakers went to OT against the Golden State Warriors, television announcers mentioned that Bryant had left the Staples Center. That probably had a lot to do with him needing to get his kids home at a reasonable time, but Twitter couldn’t get enough of the fact that Kobe left and the Lakers lost by two.
Of course, Kobe’s early departure came on the night where the Lakers retired both of his jersey numbers. The future Hall of Famer got shout-outs from all around the sports world on his big night. Did Bryant know this year’s Lakers lack the Mamba Mentality and weren’t going to gut out an overtime win against the defending champs, or was it simply past his kids’ bedtime? We’ll probably never know.
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