Bryant retired from the NBA in 2016.
In 2018, he authored a book titled
The Mamba Mentality: How I Play, and won an Oscar for his 2017 short film Dear Basketball, which was based upon a poem he wrote for The Players Tribune in 2015 announcing his retirement.
“From the moment/I started rolling my dad’s tube socks/And shooting imaginary/Game-winning shots/In the Great Western Forum/I knew one thing was real: I fell in love with you,” wrote Bryant. “A love so deep I gave you my all/From my mind & body/To my spirit & soul.”
Just hours before Bryant’s death, current Lakers superstar LeBron James surpassed his scoring record of 33,643 points.
“I’m happy just to be in any conversation with Kobe Bryant, one of the all-time greatest basketball players to ever play, one of the all-time greatest Lakers,” James said after the game.
The final tweet posted to Bryant’s Twitter account congratulated the younger player.
“Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames,” wrote Bryant. “Much respect my brother.”