Kobe Bryant exits game as wise veteran

HE'S BEEN in the NBA for more years than he had lived when he first entered it.

Kobe Bryant came back as a player one last time Tuesday night to his suddenly and stunningly appreciative hometown, came back to play against a team full of guys as wide-eyed as he was when he entered it as an 18-year-old two decades ago, less than a year after Jahlil Okafor was even born.

There's one huge difference, though, and it probably saved Kobe from the kind of turmoil that Okafor has invited with his recent off-the-court activities. "For me at the time, it was probably harder in some aspects," Bryant said before the Sixers broke their 18-game winless start with a 103-91 victory over his rebuilding Lakers.…