This evening, Kobe Bryant will dribble onto the parquet floor at the Garden for the final time. The Los Angeles Lakers star will carry in his NBA duffel 32,967 points, five championships, one regular-season MVP award, four others from the All-Star Game and two more from The Finals.
We know all there is to know about Kobe Bryant — on the court, in court, all of it. Speak his name into the voice recognition function on your smartphone and the tales and numbers wash over you like a Gatorade shower on a winning football coach. He is one of the best to ever play this game, his name shouting prominently on the league’s all-time lists.