It seems like just yesterday that Kobe Bryant finished up his Lakers career by scoring 60 points in his final game against the Utah Jazz.
It’s hard to believe that game occurred way back in 2016 since it’s likely so fresh in most basketball fan’s memories.
So, how old was Kobe when he retired from the NBA?
Kobe was 37 years old when he retired from the NBA, which is younger than the average fan would likely guess if they were forced to guess an age.
One of the reasons many people would guess he was older is because of the number of years he played in the NBA. Kobe started playing in the NBA at the age of 18 which means he spent 20 seasons in the NBA, which is nearly 5 times the average NBA career.
What caused Kobe to retire?
Toward the end of Kobe Bryant’s career, he battled through some grueling injuries that limited his explosiveness. In 2014 Kobe tore his Achilles tendon and he seemed to never get back to his explosive ways once he returned from that injury.
Kobe notoriously stayed on the court and sunk both free throws after the injury:
Besides the Achilles, Kobe also suffered knee pain towards the end of his career that required several knee arthroscopic surgeries and injections to help alleviate pain.
Kobe never spoke much about his injuries throughout his career which is just one of the many reasons Kobe fans loved him.
How many points did Kobe average in his last year?
Kobe averaged 17.6 points per game for the Lakers in his last year for a below average Lakers team that missed the playoffs.
The Lakers finished 2016 with a 17-65 record and struggled to surround Kobe with talent toward the end of his career.
Kobe finished with over 33,000 points which puts him 4th all-time in NBA history.
Did Kobe give a retirement speech?
Yes, Kobe gave an epic speech after his last game in 2016 as well as an official jersey retirement speech in 2017.
Here is a video of his 2016 speech:
Here is a video of his 2017 speech:
Kobe stayed busy in retirement with a variety of activities. He has heavily involved in his daughter’s basketball activities, an active investor in companies like Body Armour, as well as an accomplished writer and producer.
How much was Kobe Bryant worth when he retired?
Kobe Bryant had an estimated net worth of greater than $600 million dollars after he retired from the NBA. He earned the bulk of his wealth from his playing career but earned a significant amount of money from his investments off the court.
How old was Kobe when he entered the NBA?
Kobe entered the NBA at the age of 18 from Lower Marion High School in Philadelphia and immediately made his mark on the league. Kobe averaged 7.6 points per game his rookie year which is quite impressive for an 18-year-old, then improved his scoring over the next several years as well.
Here is a breakdown of the points per game by age for Kobe Bryant throughout his career:
|
Kobe AGE |
PPG |
|
18 |
7.6 |
|
19 |
15.4 |
|
20 |
19.9 |
|
21 |
22.5 |
|
22 |
28.5 |
|
23 |
25.2 |
|
24 |
30.0 |
|
25 |
24.0 |
|
26 |
27.6 |
|
27 |
35.4 |
|
28 |
31.6 |
|
29 |
28.3 |
|
30 |
26.8 |
|
31 |
27.0 |
|
32 |
25.3 |
|
33 |
27.9 |
|
34 |
27.3 |
|
35 |
13.8 |
|
36 |
22.3 |
|
37 |
17.6 |
Did Kobe come out of retirement?
No, Kobe did not come out of retirement as he seemed to leave everything he had on the floor during his last game.
Years of battling injuries and giving everything he had to the team had finally run its course and Kobe knew it was time to hang it up and move on with his life after his last game.
What Caused Kobe to retire?
Kobe’s injuries toward the backend of his career started to take a toll on Kobe and he no longer had the explosiveness during the last few years of his career.
NBA players slow down around age 30 on average but Kobe still was a dominant player and scorer until his age 35 season when he suffered his Achilles injury.
Kobe wore the number 8 for 9 seasons and three championships but decided to move to the number 24 after the 2005 season.
The numbers 8 and 24 Bryant were almost like two different types of players that had their own unique identities.
The #8 Kobe was one of the most explosive scorers in league history, while the #24 Kobe wore opponents down with a lethal mid-range game that centered around him creating space for his shots.
What were Kobe Bryant’s last words?
It is difficult to know exactly what were Kobe Bryant’s last words but he did send out one final tweet to Lebron James the night before his death after James passed Kobe on the all-time scoring list.
The LA Times put out a documented timeline of all of the events leading up to Kobe’s death as well as the immediate aftermath in the world of sports.
Summary
Kobe will go down in the history books as one of the greatest to ever play in the NBA and his legacy will live on with players and fans alike.
Many modern-day players like Jason Tatum, Kyrie Irving, and Devin Booker idolized Kobe Bryant growing up and go out of their way to pay respect to the Black Mamba.
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