All eyes were actually on the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday night as Kobe Bryant, who grew up in a suburb just outside of the city, played his final NBA game at the Wells Fargo Center.
As we previously reported, Bryant is set to retire after the season, so the stage set for his last game in Philly was almost like a home game for him. The fans stood, cheered and chanted his name when he was introduced. The 76ers even put together a video tribute for him and had his old coach, Gregg Downer, and legendary Sixer Julius Irving present him with his Lower Merion High School jersey.
The night began like a Hollywood movie, but there was a still a game to be played and the Sixers still had a 28-game losing streak, dating back to last year, that they wanted to snap. That unwanted streak officially ended when time expired with a score of 103-91 in favor of Philadelphia.
The team’s record is now only 1-18, but for the guys in the locker room getting the monkey off their backs felt great.
"Finally," forward Nerlens Noel said.
Head coach Brett Brown was also happy about the win for his team and for the Philadelphia fans.
"I'm pleased for the city," he said. "We don't want the streak continuing .... Obviously, this is a relief on many levels."
The Sixers can now take that momentum and maybe even put together a little win streak.
As for Bryant, he waved and thanked the crowd as he walked off that court for the final time. After the game the future Hall of Famer said that he wasn’t expecting that reaction or tribute but it was very emotional and he is extremely appreciative.