#2 Kobe Bryant's remarkable farewell season
The 2015-16 season for the Lakers might as well have been named the Kobe Bryant Farewell Circus Tour. Kobe himself commissioned a camera crew to follow him around and document his final season.
Kobe Bryant was one of those players who would shake hands with you before the game, give you the Black Mamba stare, and inform you of his intention to destroy you. His final season witnessed a somewhat mushy turnaround.
Kobe spent the 2015-16 season passing the torch to the other players. After almost every game, Kobe would give his signed sneakers to a promising player on the opponent's team, along with some priceless words of advice.
Every night was a Wild West shootout with Kobe. Press crews, fans, players and coaches alike all thronged to get a piece of this living legend who would soon fade away from the league. And Kobe did not disappoint.
Never has there been such a comprehensive farewell tour in the league for any player. It would have been anti-climatic if Kobe had succumbed to his injuries. But he came out strong night after night and sent away and home crowds into a frenzy when he caught fire.
The final night of his career was as perfect a summation of his career as one could have hoped for. Shaq had challenged him to score 50 in his final game, and he ended up scoring 60 points on 50 shots. Kobe shot 22 of 50 from the field and helped the Lakers inch away to a 101-96 win. Kobe made his final four shots to seal the deal, his jumper with 31 seconds in the game serving as the exclamation mark.
Over his final season, Kobe averaged 17.6 points per game with 3.7 rebounds. He carried the league from the post-Jordan era to the unprecedented popularity it enjoys today. Suffice to say, we'll never see another such season ever again from any player.
Guess the Lakers players!
