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Kobe Bryant's final game

Bryant in 2015
Utah Jazz Los Angeles Lakers 96 101 Head coach: Quin Snyder Head coach: Byron Scott
1 2 3 4 Total Utah Jazz 21 36 18 21 96 Los Angeles Lakers 19 23 24 35 101
Date	April 13, 2016
Venue	Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Attendance	18,997

Kobe Bryant played his final career game on April 13, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The matchup was among the last games of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 season, which featured the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Utah Jazz. Bryant scored 60 points in a come-from-behind victory.

The game was televised nationally by ESPN2, and aired concurrently alongside the Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors on ESPN, which saw the Warriors finish the regular season with a record 73–9, the best in NBA history.

The Los Angeles Lakers had the worst record in the 2015–16 season. They were eliminated from playoff contention in March 2016.^[1] Entering the game, the Lakers were 16–65, while the Jazz were 40–41.

On November 29, 2015, Bryant announced via The Players' Tribune that he would be retiring at the end of the season. In his poem titled "Dear Basketball", Bryant wrote that he fell in love with the game at age six.

[The 2015–16] season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it's time to say goodbye.
And that's OK. I'm ready to let you go.^[2]

In a letter distributed to Lakers' fans before that evening's game against the Indiana Pacers, Bryant wrote: "What you've done for me is far greater than anything I've done for you. ... My love for this city, this team and for each of you will never fade. Thank you for this incredible journey."^[2]

The game was broadcast on ESPN2 on April 13, 2016, at 10:30 p.m. (EDT) Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and Hubie Brown served as commentators.^[3]

Following Bryant's retirement, the Lakers were in the process of rebuilding. On April 24, 2016, the Lakers fired Byron Scott as their head coach.[265] On April 29, the team announced another former Laker, Luke Walton, as their new head coach. At the time of his hiring, Walton was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, who were in the playoffs, so he could not officially begin his duties as head coach until the Warriors' playoff run was over.[266] The Lakers earned the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft,[267] and selected Brandon Ingram from Duke University.[268] The team also selected Ivica Zubac with the 32nd overall pick.[269]

On February 21, 2017, the Lakers fired general manager Mitch Kupchak, while Magic Johnson was named as the president of basketball operations. The team's governor Jeanie Buss, also announced the removal of her brother, Jim Buss, from his position as executive vice president of basketball operations.[270][271] On March 7, 2017, the Lakers hired Rob Pelinka as the general manager, signing him to a five-year deal.[272] The Lakers again earned the second overall pick, this time, in the 2017 NBA draft,[273] and selected Lonzo Ball from UCLA.[274] The Lakers also acquired Kyle Kuzma from the University of Utah with the 27th overall pick from a draft-day trade, along with Brook Lopez in exchange for D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov.[275] The Lakers also traded their 28th overall pick, Tony Bradley, in exchange for the 30th overall pick, Josh Hart, from Villanova University and the 42nd overall pick, Thomas Bryant, from Indiana University.[276] In February 2018, Nance Jr. and Clarkson were traded away to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, and a 2018 first-round draft pick.[277] On July 2, 2018, Randle was renounced by the Lakers.[278]

On July 9, 2018, the Lakers signed LeBron James to a four-year, $154 million contract. James later led his team to the team's 17th title in 2020.

In 2020, Bryant and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. LeBron James