From high school basketball, straight into the NBA, All-Star games, playoffs, championships, to the USA Olympic team, Kobe Bean Bryant has done it all.

He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick of the 1996 NBA draft. Although, he was soon traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe tweeted on July 1, 2014, “On this day 18yrs ago the hornets told me right after they drafted me that they had no use for me and were going to trade me #thanku #lakers”. He was just a teenager with a dream to play ball and was happy he had a team to play for.

While playing for the Lakers, Bryant has won 5 championship games- 2009-10 being the last one. Hearts were broken as tears fell down faces of many fans when Bryant announced his retirement back in November of 2015.

He left fans with a poem, entitled Dear Basketball, where he told the fans: 

This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.

The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled this season but that did not stop Bryant from putting his all into his last and final game.

Nike declared April 13th, 2016 Mamba Day in honor of Kobe Bryant. Fans waited that night for the big moment as Bryant put up 60 points before the game ended.

The crowd gave Kobe Bean Bryant a standing ovation, maybe the biggest one yet, as he exited the game.

Bryant has done it all and will continue to do it all even after leaving the game. The NBA has lost one of the most loyal, competitive, determined man in the game.

He will always be remembered as the player who never gave up, scoring 81 points in one game, and still playing while injured.

It’s not goodbye forever, fans will ALWAYS keep him in the game.