The date was December 1, 2015 and I was in the upper bowl of the Wells Fargo Center. My mom convinced me to buy tickets to the Philadelphia 76ers home game against the Los Angeles Lakers, immediately following Kobe Bryant announcing his final year retirement tour.
I was finishing up my last set of finals before graduating college that winter and I was not sure my schedule would allow me to make it to the game. However, I decided quickly that I had to be at this game. Other than Allen Iverson, Kobe was my biggest basketball idol because of his Philadelphia roots and I realized I could not miss my last opportunity to see him play in person.