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Kobe Bryant, am I right?
The hoopla surrounding the legendary Laker's retirement reached a fever pitch Wednesday as the world tuned in to watch The Black Mamba's epic swan song. But if we've learned nothing else from the avalanche of Kobe tributes, it's that simply looking back on his career is not enough: We must also look back at famous people looking back at Kobe's career.
And the New York Knicks are no different. Nearly every 'Bocker with a fully functioning social media account paid homage to No. 8/ No. 24 on Wednesday. Let us take a moment, then, to check out some of the best Knicks-related Kobe tributes, and judge them, as we must judge all things.
A touching message from a former teammate. Unfortunately, Sasha, you forgot to include the Nike sneaker emoji in your #MambaDay hashtag. Don't fuck with Kobe's money!!!
Kobe score: 3/10 mambas
So much RESPECT.. Thank you! #MambaDay pic.twitter.com/7YhfaHN8nD
— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) April 13, 2016
Simple. Elegant. Kristaps.
Kobe score: 5/10 mambas
At first blush, retweeting a Kobe tribute from your own fan page seems a bit arrogant and disrespectful to the man. And that is exactly what makes this so fitting. It takes more than just a few photos together to mark yourself as a true Kobe disciple: You must honor the Mamba Brand while showing Kobe and the rest of the world that you don't care too much. Caring about others is weakness!
Kobe score: 7/10 mambas
Dang. This really Kobe last game. How can you watch anything else? Kobe, Kobe Kobe Kobe Kobe.
— Jerian Grant (@JerianGrant) April 13, 2016
Very well done, young master Grant. While everyone else is tweeting pictures of themselves with Kobe, you simply repeat his name over and over and over. Kobe would appreciate that.
Kobe score: 9/10 mambas
The game is gonna miss you @kobebryant #MambaDay pic.twitter.com/gvZt7fmmAg
— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) April 13, 2016
This is the first Melo tweet in living memory without the #StayMe7o hashtag. Is that a good thing? On one hand, it shows deference to Kobe's brand, which is 99% of the reason these two guys are on social media to begin with. But, c'mon, the guy is retiring. If you were heading off into your golden years, wouldn't you want your friends wishing you a hearty #StayMe7o?
Kobe score: 6/10 mambas
When you play against a legend, the best way to show him respect is to compete hard. Thanks @kobebryant! #MambaDay pic.twitter.com/ARn7jFfTSP
— kslife (@kevin_seraphin) April 13, 2016
Now this is it, right here ... this is it. Leave it to Kevin Seraphin to honor Kobe in this most Kobe way possible ... by showing himself dunking on Kobe. If The Mamba saw this he would call Seraphin a punk-ass, bitch-ass nobody, but he would do it with a twinkle in his eye. Well done, Mr. Seraphin.