The mesmerizing night on April 13, 2016, was over, leaving this reporter to casually stroll through the bowels of Staples Center, with thoughts on how Kobe Bryant had captivated the sporting world one last time with a 60-point work of art.
As he eased his way down the tunnel where the Lakers had parked their cars, I could see Bryant out of the corner of my eyes. He was smiling, laughing, enjoying time with his wife, Vanessa, family and friends who had come to see the master put a bow on a brilliant 20-year career.
Not wanting to be a bother to Kobe, I continued to walk up the tunnel to head toward my car. But I changed my mind, made a U-turn and walked over to the area where Bryant was standing.
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Bryant saw me and called out, “Man, BT, get ... over here.”
We then both smiled and laughed, shaking our heads at each other.
I had covered Kobe Bryant for his entire 20-year career with the Lakers and now here we stood laughing like two giggly teenagers.
Lakers star Kobe Bryant and Times reporter Broderick Turner chat after Bryant’s 60-point farewell game on April 13, 2016.
(Andrew Bernstein)
We embraced. … no, we hugged each other, a heartfelt hug, a hug of endearment and respect.
The first thing out of my mouth over the next 10 minutes or so we spent together was:
“Damn, Kob. 60! Really! ... You just dropped a 60-piece in your last game. C’mon, man!”
Bryant was wearing a Los Angeles Lakers sweatsuit, and all he could do was shake his head at what he had just done. There was a gleam in his eyes, but there were no words coming at all from him about this masterpiece.
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He did look at the suit I was wearing and said:
“Boy, I see you’re still the best damned dressed sports writer in America.”
“Well, Kob, it’s not like I have a lot of competition,” I replied. “Have you seen how some of these writers dress?”
Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in his farewell game on April 13, 2016. Here’s a look at the game and his legacy.
April 12, 2021
And then both of us laughed again.
There was so much for us to talk about, and yet so much went unsaid.
It was impossible to paint a picture of his defining career at that moment, so it was just two dudes talking a little about some of his former teammates — Shaq. Big Shot Rob. D-Fish. Foxy. LO. Metta. Pau.
There was some reminiscing about his very first game with the Lakers — in the Summer Pro League at the Pyramid at Long Beach State.
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In looking back at that game later, it was the coming out party for the 17-year-old Bryant on July 15, 1996, in a jammed-packed gym. He scored 27 points against the Detroit Pistons.
I covered that game and was awestruck like everyone else.
As we continued to reminisce, it wasn’t long before Bryant asked if I had consumed any good wine lately.
“Of course,” I said.
It was always fun talking to Bryant about some vino.
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Kobe Bryant signs the court late into the night at the Staples Center.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant kisses his wife Vanessa long after his last game at the Staples Center.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant leaves the court for the last time as a Laker, heading to the locker room after scoring 60 points and leading the team to a 101-96 win over the Utah Jazz.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant is all smiles after his final game at Staples Center Wednesday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant shares a laugh with former teammate Derek Fisher on the court after scoring 60 points in his last game as a Laker at Staples Center.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant greets Lamar Odom after his final game at Staples Center.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant kisses his wife Vanessa after his final game.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant walks off the court after his final game at Staples Center.
(Christina House / For The Times)
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Lakers Kobe Bryant salutes the crowd at the end of the game.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant waves to the crowd as he walks off the court for the last time at Staples Center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Lakers Kobe Bryant pauses for a moment as confetti streams down following his last game at the Staples Center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant salutes the crowd at the end of his final game at Staples Center.
(Christina House / For The Times)
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Kobe Bryant feels the love of the fans at Staples Center following his final game.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Lakers Kobe Bryant and A.C. Green after his final game at Staples Center.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant thanks the crowd after his final game at Staples Center.
(Christina House / For The Times)
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Kobe Bryant waves goodbye to the crowd after his final game at the Staples Center.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Balloons and confetti fall after Kobe Bryant’s last game
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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A security guard stnds alone on the court after Kobe Bryant’s last game at the Staples Center Wednesday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Los Angeles City Hall is decorated with Lakers’ purple and gold lights for Kobe Bryant’s last game.
(Robert Lachman / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant is mobbed as he scores 60-points in his final NBA game at the Staples Center.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant gets a slap from comedian George Lopez after making a three-pointer in his final game.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant watches as the ball hits the bottom of the net during his last game as a Los Angeles Laker against the Utah Jazz.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant stretches out as he makes a basket during his final game as a Laker on April 12 at Staples Center.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant drives late in the final minutes of the game at Staples Center.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kanye West and Jay Z greet each other before Kobe Bryant’s final game.
(Christina House / For The Times)
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Kobe Bryant drives the ball in the third quarter of his final game at the Staples Center Wednesday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant tries to steal the ball in his last game as a Laker at the Staples Center Wednesday, April 12.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant shakes hands with Shaquille O’Neal at his final game at Staples Center on April 13.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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The Weeknd and girlfriend Bella Hadid arrive for Kobe Bryant’s final game at Staples Center.
(Christina House / For The Times)
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Kobe Bryant is stripped of the ball by Jazz guard Rodney Hood during first half action at Staples Center.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant drives to the basket during the first half of his final NBA game.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Lamar Odom attends Kobe Bryant’s final game at Staples Center.
(Christina House / For The Times)
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Lakers star Kobe Bryant, center, heads to the locker room after scoring 22 points in the first half of his final game on Wednesday, April 13, 2016, at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant takes a shot in the first quarter of his final game at the Staples Center Wednesday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant blocks a shot by Trevor Booker in his final game at Staples Center on Wednesday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Front row fans, including Jack Nicholson cheer Kobe Bryant after he hits a shot during first half action against the Jazz at Staples Center.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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LOS ANGELES-CA-APRIL 13, 2016: Kobe thanks the crowd before his final game at Staples Center.
(Christina House / For the Times)
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Kobe Bryant is welcomed onto the court for his farewell game at Staples Center on April 13.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant acknowledges the Staples Center crowd during a pregame ceremony.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant with Magic Johnson before Kobe plays his last game as a Los Angeles Laker against the Utah Jazz.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Surrounded by cameras Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson embrace before Bryant’s final game at the Staples Center Wednesday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant waits for introductions before his final game at the Staples Center Wednesday, April 13. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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T-shirts await fans who attend Kobe Bryant’s final game at Staples Center.
(Christina House / For the Times)
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A young girl, sporting Kobe Bryant’s original No. 8 Lakers jersey, bounces a ball on the court before the future Hall-of-Famer’s final game.
(Christina House / For the Times)
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The Lakers store at Staples Center was all about Kobe Bryant and his merchandise on the day of his final NBA game.
(Christina House / For the Times)
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Fans gather outside Staples Center before Kobe Bryant’s final game in a Laker uniform.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Rock star “Flea” rehearses the national anthem before Kobe Bryant’s last game on April 13, 2016, as players warm-up. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Fans gathered outside Staples Center ahead of Kobe Bryant’s final game with the Lakers.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Lakers fans gather outside Staples Center before the final game of Kobe Bryant’s career.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Chick Hearn Court is packed as fans descend on Staples Cener to witness Kobe Bryant play his last game as a Los Angeles Laker against the Utah Jazz.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Lakers fans get a Kobe chant going outside Staples Center in Los Angeles before Laker great Kobe Bryant’s final game on Wednesday.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Members of a group of Kobe Bryant fans who flew in from China, including Iris Hong of Beijing, right, get excited outside Staples Center for the player’s last game Wednesday.
(Christina House / For the Los Angeles Times)
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Fans sign a giant card for Kobe Bryant outside Staples Center before his final game Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant fans swarm to Staples Center in Los Angeles to show their love for the Laker great at his last game Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles TImes)
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Kobe Bryant footwear is on display as the Laker Girls arrive for Wednesday night’s game, the basketball star’s last.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles TImes)
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Fans sign a giant card for Kobe Bryant outside Staples Center in Los Angeles before his final game Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles TImes)
I asked him if he remembered the time the Lakers were in Boston to play the Celtics and how a drunk fan was pestering him at the team‘s hotel bar.
Bryant was watching a Duke-North Carolina game and really didn’t want to be disturbed. A few reporters and support staff from the Lakers sat at another table not far from where Kobe was sitting.
Eventually, the man told Kobe that he would buy him a drink if he autographed something for him.
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“What about my friends over there?” Bryant asked the man, who said “sure.”
“Yo, BT, what you drinking?” Bryant asked me. “Some red wine, right?”
So, this man brought several rounds of wine for the table and Bryant signed something for the fan.
“Man, I bet when that dude wakes up tomorrow from his hangover, he won’t even know where that autograph is,” Bryant said, laughing.
Bryant just laughed when I reminded him of that story.
Watch George Lopez, David Beckham, Jeremy Piven, Arsenio Hall and others describe their emotions at Kobe Bryant’s final game.
It was like the Lakers and Celtics playing seven Game 7s for the NBA championship.
Times columnist Bill Plaschke and I sat next to each other and just kept muttering little nothings, really. Neither of us could believe our eyes.
Bryant scored 15 consecutive points in the fourth quarter, each one seemingly sending the crowd into an even bigger frenzy.
Some of the biggest stars in the world were enthralled by Bryant.
It was interesting to see Snoop Dogg, Lamar Odom sitting with Kanye West, David Beckham, Jay-Z and, of course, Lakers superfan Jack Nicholson all watching in amazement as Bryant performed on his stage.
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They came to see a show and Bryant delivered.
As our conversation began to wind down on that magical night, we both had the same thoughts.
“Man, Kob, 20 years,” I said. “That s— went fast as hell.” He laughed.
