The Lakers retiring Kobe Bryant’s jersey was simply a matter of when, not if, after the legend walked off the court for the final time in 2016. With Shaq receiving his statue last year, one could easily assume Bryant’s honoring would be next on the list, and according to TMZ, that date will be later this year.
TMZ reports the Lakers plan on retiring Bryant’s jersey at a ceremony on December 18, which also coincides with a Warriors’ visit to Staples Center. The report claims that, while not officially announced, the team has told season ticket holders to make sure they “hold on to your tickets for the game on Dec. 18” due to a “special event.”
It’s a bit strange that Bryant’s jersey retirement would be before a Warriors game, as that would be an easy game to sellout (and sell pricy tickets to) with or without Bryant’s ceremony. But, the Lakers apparently want to make it a star-studded affair and a special night, so what better way to ensure that big names will be at Staples Center than putting it on the night the champs come to town.
The question many have is whether the Lakers will retire the No. 24 or the No. 8 for Kobe’s ceremony, as he had tremendous success in both. One educated guess is that the ceremony will put 24 in the rafters, while 8 will remain unusable for future players and could possibly go on his eventual statue out front.
I think the Lakers will retire Kobe's No. 24, no one will wear No. 8 again and the No. 8 will be part of the statue they eventually unveil.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) September 12, 2017
We won’t find out until this December what the official plan is, but you can bet it will be the hardest ticket to acquire this entire season in L.A.
