OAKLAND – When the Lakers make their final appearance this season at Oracle Arena on Thursday, the host Warriors don’t know if Kobe Bryant will play and neither does his coach.
Neither does Kobe, who is hobbling on a sore Achilles and IS listed as questionable, with a final decision made sometime before the 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
But if there is any way at all, the NBA’s leading active scorer, in his 20th and final season, will take the court to say goodbye to fans in one of his favorite road venues.
The Warriors are planning a pregame ceremony for the future Hall of Famer, with executive board member Jerry West, who as Lakers general manager traded to acquire the rights to Bryant in 1996, will make a special presentation to the shooting guard who was the league’s signature star for much of his career.
“It’ll definitely be special,” interim Warriors coach Luke Walton said. “As long as he’s been playing in the league, this has always been one of those arenas that he’s had some great games, and there have been some great battles. With how loud the crowd is at Oracle, I think it’ll be a special night.”
The ceremony will take place even if Kobe is unable to play on this stop of what has become a farewell tour.
“He feels a certain responsibility to play in these arenas, which is admirable of him,” Lakers coach Byron Scott told reporters in Los Angeles Wednesday. “But my responsibility is to make sure he can play this season.”
Bryant, 37, detested his previous appearance at Oracle this season, on Nov. 24. The Warriors routed the Lakers, 111-77, and Bryant had his worst game of a season in which he has not been able to recapture the magic he once possessed. His 1-of-14 shooting matched his career-worst in a game in which he made at least one basket.
That’s not the lasting memory Kobe wants to leave in Oakland. But he may not have a choice. After feeling soreness in his right Achilles on Friday, Bryant sat out Sunday vs. Utah and played only 15 minutes against New Orleans on Tuesday. He did not practice Wednesday but did travel to the Bay Area with the Lakers.
The Warriors want to see Kobe on the court at tipoff, even though he has scored more regular-season points against them (1,792) than any other opponent.
“I’m sure he’ll have huge applause, as he should, because he’s done so much for the game,” Stephen Curry said. “Being in the Pacific Division his entire career, he’s had plenty of battles up here. “
Bryant has averaged 27.6 points per game against the Warriors. There have been many tremendous performances, such as the 44-point outburst on April 16, 2003 and the 42-point showing on March 3, 2006.
No Kobe performance in Oakland was more memorable – or better appreciated by Warriors fans – than when he poured in 51 points on Dec. 6, 2000. That was the night Warriors forward Antawn Jamison matched Bryant point for point, also finishing with 51, as the Warriors posted a 125-122 win in overtime.
It was a win-win for the crowd, as Kobe delivered something special and the Warriors came away victorious.
And it was quite different from Kobe’s last game at Oracle, which may have influenced the decision he made five days later in announcing he would retire after this season.
“Frustration kind of got to me tonight,” Bryant told reporters after that Nov. 24 game. “It affected the way I played and the way I shot, blown coverages defensively and coming down offensively and not having a concept of what we’re trying to do. It got to me a little bit and frustrated me a little bit. It affected my shot.”
Bryant on Nov. 29 announced via the Players Tribune website that this would be his last season, which precipitated the farewell tour
“Having seen the reactions from different arenas as he goes to those places for the last time,” Curry said, “it’s cool to see the road teams pay respect to a guy that’s been at the time for a very long time.”
The Warriors will pay their respects. They hope Kobe dresses and is in the starting lineup. Lakers trainer Gary Vitti suggested Bryant take a couple weeks off, but Kobe has shown no desire to do so.
“I know he wants to play," Scott said. "I'll wait until tomorrow to see how he feels. Then if he says, 'Coach, I want to play,' then we have to have another discussion on how long he can play, how many minutes. I'm just going to wait until (Thursday) and see how he feels and go from there."
