One game, one measly game, versus the Utah Jazz, on Wednesday night.
This is all that’s left of Kobe Bryant’s NBA career. One game. One stinking game. And while it’s unlikely that the sinking Lakers upend a Jazz team that will be desperately trying to save its playoff life, head coach Byron Scott wants to make sure the Mamba is on the floor as much as possible.
How many minutes does that translate to?
We don’t know.
But it’s apparently a lot, per Lakers Nation’s Serena Winters:
Byron wouldn't give a number on how many minutes Kobe will play in his last game but said: "He'll play more than he has all season long."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) April 11, 2016
Like, a whole lot. More than Kobe can even fathom, per Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding:
Byron said he and Kobe both offered up numbers for how many minutes he should play in finale. Byron's number was higher than Kobe's.
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) April 11, 2016
Kobe, 37, is averaging “just” 28 minutes per game this season, his lowest mark since he was a sophomore. He has logged more than 35 minutes just four times all year. His body isn’t built for much more. Truthfully, given all the games he’s missed, all the shots he’s caromed off the rim, his body isn’t built even for his current workload.
But Wednesday’s tilt is his last, his swan song to a 20-year NBA career that spanned championships and trade demands and an MVP award and closed-door drama and public theatrics and iconic post moves and everything in between. There is no tomorrow for Kobe, not in the world of professional basketball. He has no plans to play overseas, no intention of joining Team USA in the Olympics.
All that’s left of his career is Wednesday night’s game, a meaningless matchup in practice, but a symbolic one in feeling and purpose. And with this being the last time Kobe will be able to play competitive basketball at the highest level, don’t be surprised if he starts embracing Scott’s proposed, albeit unofficial, minutes total.
Knowing Kobe, and knowing what this game means not just to him but the Lakers and the rest of the NBA, the real surprise would be seeing him play a second under 40 minutes.
