Kobe Bryant will finally get his jersey retired tonight. Correction: Kobe Bryant will get *two* jerseys retired tonight. That’s right, No. 8 and No. 24—numbers the Black Mamba wore during his illustrious Lakers run—will get hung from the rafters at the Staples Center in front of what is expected to be a very thunderous ovation in Los Angeles. It's the perfect end cap to a career that has been culminated with over 33,000 points (good for 3rd all-time), 5 NBA Championships, 2 Finals MVPs, and a so much more.
In advance of receiving all of the accolades, though, Kobe takes us through his love for the game from a young age. Dear Basketball, which exclusively premiered on go90 today, is an animated short film narrated by Kobe himself. Based on the poem he wrote in The Players’ Tribune to announce his retirement, the project is Kobe's love letter to the game he’s played for more than half his life. Bryant said, "friends can come and go, but banners hang forever," and tonight Kobe Bryant and his legions of fans will witness those words come to fruition.
Check out Dear Basketball in the video above.
