Kobe Scores 60 In His Final Game

Kobe Bryant ended his 20- year playing career with the Lakers by scoring 60 points Wednesday night in a 101-96 victory over the Utah Jazz.

Bryant took 50 shots and made 22. He was given only token resistance on some of them after the Jazz learned they had been eliminated from playoff consideration when the Houston Rockets won their game.

The Rockets finished eighth in the Western Conference and will op- pose the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the first playoff round. The Warriors finished the regular season with a 73-9 record, the best in NBA history.

The Lakers won only 17 games and lost 65, the worst season in their LA history.

But this was a night of celebration for Bryant and the Staples Center capacity crowd.

"The highlight was I got to show my daughters how I used to play," said Bryant.

In a two-hour pre- game ceremony Bryant received praise from former teammates and opponents.

Both Magic Johnson and Shaquille O'Neal called him the greatest Laker ever. Bryant hasn't revealed what he plans to do and is expected to search through many offers.

He has said he's not interested in coaching or becoming a basketball analyst on television.