As he crossed over Sixers
forward Robert Covington
and drained his third
three-pointer in a row Kobe
Bryant once again had the
pulse of the crowd riding on
his every move. The 38-yearold
– who recently declared
this his final NBA season –
played his final game in his
hometown of Philadelphia on
Wednesday night.
The Sixers were able to
spoil his homecoming with
a 108-100 win but they were
unable to steal his spotlight as
the sold-out crowd held their
breath every time he touched
the ball. Even at this late
stage in his 20 year, Hall of
Fame career Kobe showed a
little extra bounce in his step;
giving his hometown faithful
one last look at their son from
Lower Merion.
The electricity that filled
the building on that night
is foreign to the hometown
Sixers, who as of Dec. 3 sat
at the bottom of the league
standings with just one win.
Due to the presence of Bryant
the arena was filled with fans
mostly dawning purple and
gold, which helped the Sixers
reach an attendance total of
20,510 — roughly 6,000 more
than their season average.
Anthony Direnzo, 20, a
business administration major
from Sellersville who was
at the game said there was a
buzz in the arena that hasn’t
been there in a while. “I can’t
remember the last time there
was so much energy and
excitement in one game,” he
says, “that’s all because of
Kobe.”
Philadelphia sports radio
was quick to criticize Bryant
all week for never embracing
this city as his hometown.
He has caught a lot of similar
criticism his entire career
whenever he came to town.

Nathan Weaver, 20, business
management major from
Quakertown thinks that is an
unfair critique. “It’s not like
he owes anything to the city.
He was drafted by the Lakers
and has been a Laker for his
entire life. He doesn’t have to
express his love for Philly for
us to accept him as a hometown
hero.”
The fans – or at least those
in the Wells Fargo Center on
that night – agreed. Bryant
received a series of standing
ovations throughout the night.
The first coming prior to the
game when there was a short
ceremony held for him where
he received a framed No. 24
Lower Merion jersey from his
former coach.
Throughout the course of
the game the fans never hesitated
to deliver a passionate
chant of, “Ko-be! Ko-be!”
and “MVP! MVP!” even
though the 17-time all-star is
merely a shell of his former
self.
After the final buzzer that
sentiment from fans was
capped off as they erupted
into one final ovation. Even
though he shot 7-of-26 from
the field on the night, the
applause was more so a thank
you and celebration of his
illustrious career.
Bryant made it a point to
embrace the city in return on
his final homecoming, as he
proclaimed in his post-game
press conference that he rode
around the city visiting various
parks from his childhood;
even visiting his favorite
cheesesteak place in West
Philadelphia.
Kyle Chubb, 20, pre-allied
health major from Quakertown
was asked if he liked
how the night turned out said,
“I really liked it, I don’t think
it could have gone any better
for both Kobe and the city.”
Cody Sterner, 19, business
administration major from
Quakertown said, “I really
liked how Kobe made his
final trip to Philly so special.
A lot of fans have felt disrespected
over the years, but I
think he made up for that [that
night].”
After the game, Bryant
commented, “There’s not
one playground around here
where people just play basketball
and don’t talk trash.”
It’s clear that the toughness
and grit that Kobe Bryant
has displayed over his career
was birthed on the many
courts throughout the city. “It
teaches you how to have thick
skin,” he concluded.
The mantra of Bryant’s
career has been hard-work,
toughness, and finish, and that
is all he has done on his way
to five NBA Championships,
17 all-star teams, and one
NBA MVP Award. Kobe embodied
the spirit and drive of
city like no other homegrown
athlete has, and for that Philadelphia
is forever grateful.