WATCH: Kobe Bryant’s farewell speech

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – Moments after dropping 60 points and leading the Lakers to a win over the Jazz in his final ever NBA game, 5-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant took the middle of the Staples Center in Los Angeles and gave his final farewell speech to the crowd.

It was emotional, as Bryant took a trip down memory lane, thanked the fans, thanked his family, and provided a light-hearted moment.

“I can’t believe how fast 20 years went by. This is crazy,” the former NBA MVP and third all-time leading scorer in league history started his speech.

“We’ve been through our ups, we’ve been through our downs, I think the most important part is that we all stayed together throughout. I grew up a die-hard, I mean, a die-hard Laker fan. Die hard. And I knew everything about every player that has ever played here so to be drafted, and to be traded to this organization and to spend 20 years here, I mean, you can’t write something better than this,” he later said.

Bryant, who finishes his career with 18 All-Star appearances, also mentioned it was the tough seasons during his Lakers tenure which he’s most proud of.

“I’m more proud about the fact that – not about the championships – but about the down years because we didn’t run. We didn’t run. We played through all that stuff. We got our championships and we did it the right way,” said the guy nicknamed Black Mamba.

“All I can do here is just thank you guys, thank you for all the years of support, thank you guys for all the motivation, thanks you for all the inspiration.”

Kobe also made some jokes, saying: “The thing that had me cracking up all night long was the fact that I go through 20 years of everybody screaming, ‘pass the ball!’ and last night they’re like, ‘Don’t pass it!’”

“I can’t believe this has come to an end,” Bryant also lamented. “You guys will always be in my heart and I sincerely, I sincerely appreciate it. No words can describe how I feel about you guys. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you guys.”

Towards the end of his speech, Bryant singled out his family, especially his wife Vanessa, who he says was the rock of their establishment.

“To my family, to my wife Vanessa, our daughters Natalia and Gianna, thank you guys for all your sacrifice. For all the hours I spend in the gym working and training, and Vanessa you holding down the family the way you have… there’s no way that I can thank you enough for that. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

How did Bryant end his speech? In absolute Kobe fashion:

“What can I say? Mamba out,” Bryant said before putting the mic down. – Rappler.com