Kobe Bryant’s retirement is now official. His decades-long career came to an end tonight in epic fashion—Kobe scored 60(!) points and hit two essential free throws late in the game to clinch the win. He had a great game, and it all started with Flea.
Kobe loves Flea. He’s said Flea is “like Charlie Parker or John Coltrane,” and the feeling is mutual. Flea has been a Lakers fan for nearly all of his 40 years in California, and he’s happy to talk about is admiration and respect for Kobe Bryant.
So when Kobe Bryant wanted Flea to play the national anthem before his final game, Flea played the national anthem. With his bass. And nothing else.
I’m sure a lot of people enjoyed Flea’s performance. He’s an incredible musician, and could arguably be considered the Kobe of bass guitarists. But on the internet, there were a lot of people who took issue with the performance.
Mostly they wanted the person who let Flea onstage to be fired. Check out some of the responses below.
