Toronto gives Lakers’ Kobe Bryant a warm sendoff

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Kobe Bryant's farewell tour had garnered so much attention within just a few days, he felt the need to ask opposing NBA teams to refrain from on-court gift-giving or special pre-game ceremonies.

Since announcing on Nov. 29 that this season will be his last, every stop on the Los Angeles Lakers schedule has been a spectacle. Fans have stood in ovation and opponents have assembled video tributes for the 20-year NBA superstar at road games. In his hometown of Philadelphia, the 76ers, along with his high school, presented him with a framed jersey. In Atlanta, the Hawks partnered with the city's zoo to name their Black Mamba snake "Kobe."

As the Lakers rolled into the Air Canada Centre to take on the Toronto Raptors on Monday, the crowd was spotted with pockets of fans in gold and purple No. 24 jerseys. Fans held up hand-made signs expressing their love and thanks. There was a standing ovation for his introduction and another following a Raptors' video tribute celebrating his career. When he left the floor for several minutes in the second quarter, Toronto's crowd chanted "WE WANT KOBE".

The final season for the 37-year-old Laker has generated extremes in both praise and criticism for one of the most famous yet polarizing athletes on the planet. He's a 17-time all-star, two-time scoring champion, has won five NBA championships, and will retire the league's No. 3 all-time scorer. Many rave of his talent and championships, while others argue that he's a ball hog, makes poor shooting decisions, misses way too many shots and hasn't adapted his game as he's aged. He's battled many injuries in recent seasons, his game has declined sharply, and his Lakers are now a lowly 3-18. Their rebuild can't really begin until he's gone.

He had 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting, added four rebounds, four assists, two steals and coughed up four turnovers in Monday's 102-93 loss to the now 13-9 Raptors. It was a far cry from the time he famously threw down 81 points against the Raptors in 2006. But it was a small bright spot for Bryant during a bleak season in which he's shooting 29 per cent from the field and possibly on target for one of the worst shooting years in NBA history.

The talkative and very quotable Bryant did a ten-minute press conference in a bright mood after the game in a packed media room, since the press group was far too big for a locker room scrum. It's been a nightly thing for him on the road lately. Bryant was asked why he doesn't take fewer shots or change his style to cope with age and injuries.

"I shot 50 per cent tonight? Finally!," he said with a good-natured, self-deprecating laugh. "You can't play according to what just happened, and I can't stress that to you enough. Even if you're writing a s – –t story about me, and that's totally fine – it won't be the last. It's important and kids should know this. You can't hold on to the last play. You've got to let it go, that's what I try to do."

Since Bryant's announcement, players across the league have reacted. Kevin Durant scolded the media for being too critical of the 37-year-old star in recent years. LeBron James and Toronto's DeMar DeRozan have gushed about what Bryant has meant to their careers.

"It's a sad day," said DeRozan, who met Bryant when he was growing up as a kid in Compton, California. "It's a little bit of everything just to see him walking away from the game, especially someone I idolized as I grew up watching. I'm honoured to have the opportunity to just compete against him. When I'm old, I can add in stories that I played against Kobe, like a lot of older guys do about Michael Jordan."

Raptors coach Dwane Casey shared stories of seeing Bryant as a rookie, skinny and eating alone in a corner of the weight room. He also recalled Bryant being so cocky as a breakout player in one of his early All-Star Games that Karl Malone insisted on coming out of the game because he didn't like playing with the young hot rod.

"He's going to go down as one of the greats of our time," said Casey, calling him "up at the top" when it came to players against whom he's had to scheme defences over the years.

Bryant is the only guard to play 20 NBA seasons, and the only player ever to do so with the same franchise. He left the floor to more applause from the Toronto crowd, one night after struggling with a stomach bug at a game in Detroit.

"Wow, that felt absolutely amazing," said Bryant of the reception he received in Toronto. "I sat on the bench, and they started chanting "We want Kobe". They did it a little early. I was like 'dude, hold on; give me five minutes!"

The Bryant roadshow overshadowed some unsettling injury news for the home team. The Raptors announced before Monday's game that small forward DeMarre Carroll is out indefinitely with a knee contusion; while young big man Lucas Nogueira is sidelined with a sprained left ankle, just as he was starting to get meaningful minutes. It was, however, a win for a Raptors team that had lost two straight.

Kyle Lowry led the way for Toronto with 27 points, while Terrence Ross had a promising 22-point night while starting for Carroll, and Bismack Biyombo was the leading rebounder with 13, along with 15 points. Raptors centre Jonas Valanciunas, still out with a broken hand, got Bryant to autograph his cast.

The legendary Laker said he's not bothered by the way he's going out, and is "at peace", although still dealing with the aftermath of various surgeries he's had.

"Honestly, if that was what was in the cards for me, then so be it. All I can do is just try," said Bryant. "Control what you can control, and you've got to let everything else go."