Kobe Bryant scores 60 points in final NBA game

Basketball great Kobe Bryant went out on top Wednesday night, earning 60 points as he led the Lakers to a 101-96 win over the Utah Jazz.

With 14.5 seconds left in the game, Bryant hit two free throws, reaching 60 points, and giving the Lakers a 99-96 lead. Jordan Clarkson then followed it up with a slam dunk. With those 60 points, Bryant scored the most points by an individual player in the league this season and earned the most points in NBA history by a player in his final regular season game. He ended his career with 33,643 points, 11,719 field goals, 836 wins, and 1,346 games.

So many tweets about Bryant were sent during the game that Twitter was briefly down in the Los Angeles area, ABC7 reports, and it's believed Kobe-mania was behind the disruption. At the end of the game, Bryant thanked his teammates, family, and fans, telling the crowd: "I can't believe how fast 20 years went by. This is crazy, absolutely crazy. To be standing here, center court, with you guys, my teammates, behind me, and appreciating this journey we've been on. We've been through our ups and down, and I think the most important part is we all stayed together throughout." Bryant shared that he was a "diehard Laker fan" growing up, and couldn't believe that he wound up playing for the storied team. "To be drafted and spend 20 years here, you can't write something better than this," he said.

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