Boos were replaced by cheers. Clotheslines gave way to hugs. Hate gave way to love.
It was as unlikely a scene as Kobe Bryant ever expected to see in the desert, where he and the Suns waged numerous Western Conference wars over the past two decades.
The 18-time All-Star and sure-fire Hall-of-Famer was even moved by the reaction that included a standing ovation and numerous “KOBE! KOBE!” chants throughout the game. As he left the court that had suffered countless numbers of his fadeaways, dunks and other exploits, he acknowledged the crowd’s roaring farewell with applause and waves of his own. It was a mutual mark of respect earned the hard way, with each side boasting scars from the other.
Bryant embraces those mid-career wounds even more than end-of-the-line healing that took place in his final appearance in Phoenix.
“They really pushed us to grow as a team,” Bryant said of the Suns. “Those two years that they knocked us out [of the playoffs], we just had some unbelievable games.”
“Phoenix, they kicked our butts and we had to bounce back and had to overcome them. That’s a true rivalry.”
— Kobe Bryant
Those words came a hallway's length from the court where Bryant suffered the infamous Raja Bell clothesine during the 2006 playoffs. He brushed that off, but he never brushed off what the back-to-back playoff losses that followed at the hands of Steve Nash and company, both of which also ended here in Phoenix.
To his credit, hindsight’s glasses did not alter the memory everyone has of those clashes. He still savors every bitter drop the Suns made him swallow.
“I hated them, absolutely,” Bryant confirmed with a laugh. “They stopped me from getting a championship! Twice! Damn right I hated them! Raja, Steve and all those good guys. I hated them. No question.
“At the same time, I loved them. They brought the best out of me and my teammates. The relationship is a love-hate relationship because I hated the fact that they were that good and kept us from winning, but at the same time I loved how good they were. I knew we had to be better."
Phoenicians can appreciate that. It’s honest, barefaced and unashamed, much like those four postseason encounters between the two Pacific Division rivals, especially the latter three. It’s why Bryant was still all too eager to exact revenge when they met again in the playoffs in 2010. Three years between postseason battles hadn’t allowed his anger go flat. They simply let it stir into a combination of anger and respect that allowed him to respond.
The best foes, he admitted, aren’t the ones who give you the greatest test in victory. They’re the ones who actually send you crashing in defeat, a position from which you have to rise and reply.
“That was a real rivalry,” Bryant said of the Suns-Lakers clashes of his prime. “Sacramento wasn’t because we beat them every time. Phoenix, they kicked our butts and we had to bounce back and had to overcome them. That’s a true rivalry.”
Bryant was the latest villain in the Suns and Lakers saga that dates back to 1970. He came after Wilt, after Kareem and Magic, after Shaq. He won’t be the last. On Wednesday night, there were tantalizing signs that that the next episode could feature Suns rookie guard Devin Booker and Lakers’ freshman D’Angelo Russell for years to come.
Their respective careers are as wide open as Kobe’s is closed. He doesn’t mind. There was no wistfulness as he watched a young and still-developing generation take their first swings at one another. Bryant is happy to hang up the gloves, and even happier to inspire others to wield them.
Bryant on Booker
After the game, Bryant spoke with Booker, the youngest player in the league, a kid whose birth preceded Bryant's NBA debut by a whopping five days. Like attracts like. Bryant had seen Booker’s talent up close, even laughed as his younger counterpart tried to use his own moves against him in the early stages of the game. It was only natural for a kid who grew up pretending to be Kobe on his driveway hoop, a fantasy similar to the one Bryant played in his own childhood.
“He went straight to my move,” Bryant laughed. “The first time he caught it. You’re not going to beat me on my move, man! But it was great to see. Absolutely great to see, because I did the same thing with MJ.”
The encounter finished with Bryant giving Booker a pair of his Nike shoes. They were signed with the autograph Booker dreamed of getting as a kid, but the more important inscription was above the signature.
“To Book, Be Legendary.”
Fans hope Booker will indeed be legendary. Early signs say the potential is there. But what Bryant’s final game might have reminded everyone, is that “legendary” occurs in moments as much as – sometimes more – than people.
In both cases, Bryant and the Suns had that word covered.