Feb. 13--Surrounded by a crush of reporters, alternating between introspection and playfulness, Kobe Bryant revealed plans for his first day of retirement.
"I'll probably wake up and have some coffee and go back to sleep," Bryant said.
There you go. Bryant's legendarily defiant competitiveness is so deep that apparently he's immune to caffeine's effects.
Making his 18th and final All-Star Game appearance as the leading vote-getter from fans, Bryant took a stroll down memory lane Friday, clearly enjoying the ride.
The 20-year veteran answered questions in English, Italian and Spanish and repeated the Arabic word for "thank you" when taught it by an Arabic reporter who asked if Bryant knew any Arabic words. He marveled at his many memories, which include his first All-Star appearance in 1998 and four MVP awards.
Bryant even chuckled at three gifts presented to him by international reporters, typically taboo in journalism.
"This is pretty cool. I'm looking around the room and seeing guys that I'm playing with that are tearing up the league that were like 4 during my first All-Star Game," Bryant, 37, said. "I mean, how many players can say they've played 20 years and actually have seen the game go through three, four generations.
"It's not sad at all. I'm honored to be here and see this."
So were his peers, who gushed about Bryant's impact on the sport.
"You see what he's done for the game. He's big-time, man," Bulls guard Jimmy Butler said. "I'm blessed to witness this. Growing up, he was one of the players I pretended to be when I was shooting around. It's crazy to play a couple years with him and then see him retire on the note that he is."
The Bulls' other All-Star, Pau Gasol, owns special perspective on Bryant. They teamed to win two championships with the Lakers.
But Gasol, while also mentioning the titles, offered a surprising response when asked for his favorite Bryant memory.
"The time when I first got traded to the Lakers (from the Grizzlies), the way he welcomed me to the team," Gasol said. "He came to my (hotel) room to welcome me and say hello and to express his gratitude and happiness and also his desire to win championships together. We had some great runs."
Gasol admitted that Bryant's hard-driving style isn't for every teammate. But he theorized Bryant's European background, having lived in Italy, helped forge their bond.
"We just understood and complemented each other," Gasol said. "Kobe is decisive when it comes to his game. He has had the ability to take over, so he wanted everybody to follow his lead.
"He made selfish plays at times when he needed to in order to win. But he also had to find the open guy and he learned to trust his teammates."
