Those who watched Kobe Bryant’s final game soon won’t forget the show he put on at Staples Center against the Jazz. It wasn’t just fans who enjoyed what they witnessed, though; Bryant’s teammates did as well. After the game, members of the Lakers wanted Bryant’s autograph to commemorate both him and the night. Unfortunately, Nick Young had his request rejected.
Young attempted to have the future Hall of Famer sign his Adidas sneakers. Bryant wanted no part of that. As Young said during his exit interview, the shoes ended up in the trash.
“The feeling was like we won a championship or something. Kobe signing autographs, we was all in a line like we were fans in the locker room. In fact he threw my Adidas and didn’t sign my Adidas. I was a little disappointed in that. I think he threw my shoes in the trash, but that’s Kobe for you.”
If Bryant taking 50 shots and scoring 60 points was the most Kobe Bryant way to end his career on the basketball court, this might be the most Kobe Bryant way to put a bow tie on his final moments with his teammates. Young went on to say Bryant did take a photo with his son and Kobe made sure Young didn’t leave empty handed. He got Bryant’s signature on a copy of the box score.
Those who remember the early portion of Bryant’s career will recall he signed an endorsement deal with Adidas. Andrew Wiggins paid homage to Bryant by wearing Adidas Crazy One shoes on Wednesday. That was then. Bryant has been hooping in Nikes for years now and having his name appear on a pair of Adidas isn’t going to happen, as Nick Young now knows.
