Which NBA Stars Have Earned a Kobe-Esque Farewell Tour?

The very concept of an NBA farewell tour is a paradox.

If you deserve one, you probably don’t want one. Chances are, a player who has sacrificed for an organization, stayed true to it for years and led it to glory isn’t into yearlong, self-aggrandizing celebrations. That sort of thing is generally antithetical to what made the player so revered in the first place.

Case in point: Tim Duncan sure wasn’t interested.

Second case in point: Neither is Dwyane Wade, who told ESPN’s Jorge Sedano as much upon his return to the Miami Heat earlier this month.

Kobe Bryant‘s ceremonial strut around the league in his final season felt a little icky, even if he deserved to be honored—mainly because it reduced an entire Los Angeles Lakers team (one Kobe had financially hamstrung and emotionally pummeled into submission) to a sideshow.

It was enough to make you wonder if we’ll ever see something like it again. Not just because of the whole paradox thing, but also because it’s really hard to find someone worthy in the first place. And there’s also the leaguewide component. The player in question would have to be a surefire Hall of Famer tied inarguably to one franchise and also one who mattered to the game at large. Additionally, he’d have to be vital to a period of major success (preferably with a championship to show for it).

The standard is high, but a handful of guys meet it.

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Kobe Bryant Says Favorite Moment with Shaq Was Mooning Fans on Lakers’ Team Bus

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal won three NBA championships together during their time with the Los Angeles Lakers, but one moment from the 2002 Western Conference Finals against the Sacramento Kings stood out for Kobe.

He said during a Players Only interview with O’Neal that aired Saturday on TNT his favorite moment with the center was after Game 7 of the series when the Lakers were leaving ARCO Arena as Western Conference champions.

O’Neal said some of the Sacramento fans were mooning the Lakers before the game, so the Los Angeles players returned the deed on the bus after the victory.

It was a memorable battle that lasted seven games, and some Kings fans likely remember more than just the basketball if they looked at the Lakers’ bus.

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Which NBA Stars Have Earned a Kobe-Esque Farewell Tour?

The very concept of an NBA farewell tour is a paradox.

If you deserve one, you probably don’t want one. Chances are, a player who has sacrificed for an organization, stayed true to it for years and led it to glory isn’t into yearlong, self-aggrandizing celebrations. That sort of thing is generally antithetical to what made the player so revered in the first place.

Case in point: Tim Duncan sure wasn’t interested.

Second case in point: Neither is Dwyane Wade, who told ESPN’s Jorge Sedano as much upon his return to the Miami Heat earlier this month.

Kobe Bryant‘s ceremonial strut around the league in his final season felt a little icky, even if he deserved to be honored—mainly because it reduced an entire Los Angeles Lakers team (one Kobe had financially hamstrung and emotionally pummeled into submission) to a sideshow.

It was enough to make you wonder if we’ll ever see something like it again. Not just because of the whole paradox thing, but also because it’s really hard to find someone worthy in the first place. And there’s also the leaguewide component. The player in question would have to be a surefire Hall of Famer tied inarguably to one franchise and also one who mattered to the game at large. Additionally, he’d have to be vital to a period of major success (preferably with a championship to show for it).

The standard is high, but a handful of guys meet it.

Begin Slideshow

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Kobe Bryant Says Favorite Moment with Shaq Was Mooning Fans on Lakers’ Team Bus

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal won three NBA championships together during their time with the Los Angeles Lakers, but one moment from the 2002 Western Conference Finals against the Sacramento Kings stood out for Kobe.

He said during a Players Only interview with O’Neal that aired Saturday on TNT his favorite moment with the center was after Game 7 of the series when the Lakers were leaving ARCO Arena as Western Conference champions.

O’Neal said some of the Sacramento fans were mooning the Lakers before the game, so the Los Angeles players returned the deed on the bus after the victory.

It was a memorable battle that lasted seven games, and some Kings fans likely remember more than just the basketball if they looked at the Lakers’ bus.

Read more Kobe Bryant news on BleacherReport.com

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Kobe Bryant Almost Went to Bulls Before Shaquille O’Neal Requested Trade in 2004

Former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant revealed to Shaquille O’Neal during their hourlong TNT special amid the All-Star Weekend festivities that he was ready to go to the Chicago Bulls in 2004 before the Los Angeles Lakers traded O’Neal to the Miami Heat.

“We were looking for places in Chicago, man, we were flying up there to meet with [Bulls owner Jerry] Reinsdorf and [vice president of basketball operations John] Paxson,” Bryant acknowledged. “Vanessa [Bryant’s wife] signed off on moving to Lake Forest, I think it was.”

“We were looking for homes in Chicago,” Bryant added. “Researching schools, places to live.”

Rumors surfaced Kobe demanded a trade to Chicago in 2007, a deal that never went through. The Lakers eventually added Pau Gasol in 2008—and Bryant added two more titles. But the prevailing belief before he re-signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2004 was that he might sign with the Los Angeles Clippers. 

Instead, Bryant was ready to depart to join the Bulls, though the trade of O’Neal changed things.

“We went on vacation to Italy. I got a phone call, [agent] Rob Pelinka called me. He said, ‘Shaq just requested a trade,'” Bryant recalled. “I was like, ‘Well, there goes Chicago. There’s no way the Lakers are going to lose me and Shaq in the same year.'”

The NBA on TNT shared the entire exchange: 

The pair touched on a number of topics about their time together with the Lakers, including the first instance they fought:

They also touched on their place in NBA history:

Their partnership led to three straight NBA championships for the Lakers and one of the most memorable beefs in league history as well, though both men seem to have put any disagreements from the past well behind them, even acknowledging that they played up the rivalry somewhat for the cameras. 

There was a definite rivalry between the two, however, especially when they parted ways. Each wanted to finish with more championships than the other—Bryant won that competition, 5-4—and Bryant also spoke about his desire to win outside of O’Neal’s shadow, per Josh Eberley of Hoop: 

Finally, one of the most interesting aspects of the conversation between the two was hearing each acknowledge that they may have misunderstood the motivations and mindset of the other during their time together. O’Neal, for instance, said he leaned on Bryant to lead the team earlier in the season to preserve his body, often coming into the season out of shape, a fact that drove Bryant nuts. 

O’Neal believed it helped elongate his prime, however. 

And Bryant said that he often had a hard time scaling back his edge and desire to be the alpha dog once O’Neal played himself back into the shape since he carried the bigger load earlier in the season, causing its own form of conflict between the two. Hearing each man’s perspective on how they fueled the beef was fascinating and gave a lot of perspective to the issues they had with one another.

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Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant Discuss 1st Fight, Lakers Breakup on TNT

During a discussion on TNT, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant talked about their first fight as Los Angeles Lakers teammates.

As seen in the following video, Bryant said the altercation took place during a pickup game that occurred during an NBA lockout:

Bryant was likely referring to the 1998-99 lockout, which shortened the season to 50 games per team.

Kobe said he and Shaq were on opposite sides in the pickup game, and that O’Neal said, “Take that little b—h” in reference to Bryant.

Bryant added that Shaq’s comments led to punches from both men.

 

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available. 

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Giannis Antetokounmpo Says He Wants to Work with Kobe Bryant This Offseason

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is angling for a chance to learn from the Black Mamba this summer.

According to ESPN Milwaukee’s Eric Nehm, Antetokounmpo said he hopes to speak to Bryant about participating in joint workouts when the two attend a Nike event Friday evening in Los Angeles at All-Star weekend. 

“When I go to that event, I’m going to try to sneak an opportunity to talk to him,” Antetokounmpo told Nehm. “I want to ask him if I can come to L.A. to work with him.”

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

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Kobe Bryant Says Only ‘Special’ Players Can Be Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant said the organization shouldn’t need to make a major sales pitch to convince top free agents to join one of the NBA‘s most storied franchises.

In an interview with ESPN’s Jalen Rose, Bryant downplayed the idea that he could help the Lakers recruit players during the offseason.

“It takes a special person to want to play for this franchise and take the pressure that comes along with playing for this franchise,” he said. “The pressure of following Magic [Johnson]’s footsteps, myself and the dynasty that we’ve had, it takes a special person to do that. And if I need to convince you come here, to carry that legacy forward, then you ain’t the one to be it.”

                 

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

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Dwyane Wade Says He Doesn’t Want Farewell Tour Like Kobe Bryant Had

Now back with the Miami Heat after a year and a half odyssey that included stops in Cleveland and Chicago, Dwyane Wade is now clearly in the twilight of his career.

Just don’t expect a big fuss when he decides to step away.

Wade sat down for a conversation with ESPN’s Jorge Sedano that aired Monday, saying he does not want a farewell tour similar to the one given to Kobe Bryant.

“I talked to Kobe about that,” Wade said (via Complex’s Gavin Evans). “He was like ‘It was exhausting. As flattering as it was, it was very exhausting as well.’ I’m not a narcissist like that. I don’t think I need it. I’m not calling Kobe a narcissist. He earned it and needed that. But I can’t set out and say I want a farewell tour like Kobe Bryant. That’s not who I am. I don’t really talk about it, but when the time comes [to retire] I’ll announce it in my own D-Wade fashion. Hopefully I can move on and live on the memories from that point on.”

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

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Metrics 101: Ranking NBA’s Greatest All-Star Performances

How much does Kobe Bryant‘s unforgettable dunk against LeBron James matter in a statistical analysis of All-Star performances? Can it help the Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard outpace the best efforts of Wilt Chamberlain, who routinely put up massive scoring and rebounding figures before the implementation of the three-point arc? 

What about Michael Jordan? Were Anthony Davis’ record-setting 52 points last year enough to earn him admission into the leading group of NBA All-Star performances? 

To see how literally each showing in the midseason festivities stacks up against all the rest, we’re turning to the numbers—game score, specifically. 

              

How It Works

The box-score metric is by no means a perfect measure, but it does boil all types of contributions into a singular number. We’re using a slightly modified version here where every rebound (offensive and defensive) is weighted appropriately. But that’s not the only step in finding All-Star Score. 

Throughout league history, the complexion of these inter-conference contests has changed dramatically. Now more than ever, defense is entirely eschewed in favor of scoring. The last four years have produced the four highest average game scores for the players involved. 

In 1955, average game score bottomed out at 8.45 in a 100-91 victory for the Eastern Conference. During the West’s 192-182 win in 2017, the average player had a record-setting 17.4 game score. 

To account for these ballooning scores over time, we’re ranking these performances using z-scores, which show how a player stood out against his competition that specific day. This takes care of changing levels of pace, defensive intensity and three-point shooting. 

All-Star Score is simply the z-score for each specific outing, and you can view all 1,525 marks throughout NBA history. Most of them just aren’t in the same ballpark as these 10 memorable explosions (limited to one selection per player). 

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