RetroSeasons recaps past sports seasons through stories, photos, videos, and stats from every team, league, and stadium in history. Coverage includes the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, as well as vintage media from defunct teams and leagues.
The 2016 Los Angeles Lakers, coached by Byron Scott, missed the playoffs after finishing the NBA regular season in 5th place in the Western Conference Pacific Division with a 17-65 record.
Joining Chris Mannix on the Vertical this week is the great broadcaster, Dan Patrick. Dan talks with Chris and shares many stories of covering NBA Finals and his best story involving an interview with Michael Jordan. It's all here on The Vertical Podcast with Chris Mannix. Here are some key moments: - - 0:37: Mannix getting lost in Rio. - - 2:45: Getting to know Patrick Ewing and the side he doesn’t show the media. - - 7:17: The limited amount of access that the media has to athletes compared to earlier eras. - - 12:00: Covering Jordan during his championship years. - - 17:32: Jordan’s first retirement from the Bulls and baseball career. - - 22:22: Growing up a fan of the Cincinnati Royals, and seeing Oscar Robertson, Nate Archibald and Pete Maravich play. - - 28:28: Comparing players and teams from different eras. - - 32:58: Patrick’s experiences with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. - - 36:57: Seeing Wilt Chamberlain when the Lakers visited Cincinnati. - - 39:15: Entering into radio work during the late 1990s. - - 44:11: Patrick’s heavy workload in recent years. - - 46:14: Patrick’s friendship with Sandler and the broadcaster's movie appearances. - Learn more about your ad-choices at
LOS ANGELES (AP) Kobe Bryant scored 60 incredible points. He carried a miserable Los Angeles...
Kobe Bryant Amazing last 3 minutes in his FINAL GAME vs Jazz / LOS ANGELES (AP) Kobe Bryant scored 60 incredible points. He carried a miserable Los Angeles Lakers team to an improbable comeback victory.
And with sweat and confetti all over his gold uniform for the final time, he expressed humble thanks to his fans and family for their loving support over two decades.
"What else can I say?" Bryant asked. "Mamba out."
Now that's a Hollywood ending to a remarkable career.
Bryant utterly dominated his final game Wednesday night, wrapping up 20 NBA seasons with one last offensive showcase in the Lakers' 101-96 victory over the Utah Jazz.
He scored 23 points in the fourth quarter, posting his first 50-point game since February 2009 and rallying the Lakers from a 15-point deficit to win the final game of the worst season in franchise history.
It was messy, ridiculous and magical - even to the man who did it so many times over 20 years.
"It's hard to believe it happened this way," Bryant said. "I'm still shocked about it."
With the entire Staples Center crowd standing, Bryant made a 3-pointer with 59 seconds left. He hit another with 31 seconds to play, putting the Lakers ahead 97-96. He finished with an assist before checking out for good with 4.1 seconds left in just the Lakers' 17th win of the season.
"The perfect ending would have been a championship," Bryant said with a smile. "But tonight was (me) trying to go out, play hard and try to put on a show as much as I possibly could. It felt good to be able to do that one last time."
Bryant and his teammates conspired for one last omnivorous scoring performance by the third-leading scorer in NBA history. He played 42 minutes and took a career-high 50 shots, his teammates attempting to set him up for points on nearly every possession.
Kobe came up with the fifth highest-scoring game of his career. He became the oldest player to score 50 points in an NBA game.
The entire night was a tribute to Bryant, who is retiring after 20 seasons, five championship rings and 18 All-Star selections with the Lakers, who honored him before and after the game. Bryant is just the fifth player in NBA history to play 20 seasons, and the first with just one team.
"I think the most important part is that we all stayed together throughout," Bryant said to the crowd. "You'll always be in my heart, and I sincerely, sincerely appreciate it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you guys."
He also had a few laughs after finishing his 1,346th regular-season game with 33,643 career points.
"The thing that had me cracking up all night long is, I go through 20 years of everybody screaming to pass the ball," Bryant said with a grin. "And then the last night, they're like, `Don't pass it!"'
It was daylong tribute with thousands of fans thronging the downtown streets around Staples Center and chanting his name from early afternoon. Fans
