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0:42 please welcome liqueurs president of
0:45 basketball operations Irvin Magic Johnson
1:05 we're here to celebrate the greatest
1:13 hooves ever war the purple and gold for
1:17 20 years he thrilled us he made us
1:20 scratch our head what did we just see
1:25 what did we just witness and he gave us
1:38 let me see Kobe you gave us three and
1:46 number eight and two and 24 we are so
1:51 blessed to have had this man wear the
1:54 purple and gold for 20 years and he was
1:59 all about excellence he was driven his
2:02 will to win was very very high and
2:07 tonight we're able to put not just one
2:10 of his jersey but both of his jerseys up high
2:22 I hope that you recorded every game I
2:24 hope that you're doing the same thing
2:27 tonight because it will never ever be
2:39 another Kobe Bryant who can remember
2:53 and last but not least there would never
2:58 be an athlete in his last performance to
3:12 so before I turn the mic over to our
3:17 owner Jeanie buss is two things I want
3:22 to leave you with Kobe Jerry West called
3:25 me the day that you worked out and he
3:28 said Earvin I just witnessed the
3:31 greatest workout I've ever seen in my
3:32 entire life
3:36 and Jerry you were absolutely right
3:39 this man has turned out to be the
3:42 greatest we've ever seen and the next
3:47 thing Kobe is this brother we need you
3:52 right now when I look into this audience
3:56 there's our race of people come together
4:02 cheers you on for twenty years and this
4:06 country needs to come together and you
4:08 were able to bring us all together as a
4:12 city in Los Angeles for 20
4:30 and Geney before you speak we have got
4:33 to bring his closest friend my partner
4:36 in crime out here to join us
4:39 Rob pálinka you gotta come on out
4:41 representing Kobe for all those years
4:45 you gotta come on out we don't let
5:09 Koby we knew this day was gonna come and
5:14 here we are I also know you well enough
5:17 that the jerseys hanging up there was
5:21 not your motivation but this is our
5:25 tradition this is our ceremony but
5:28 really what we're celebrating tonight is
5:30 the journey that you took us on for
5:39 those 20 years we are retiring both your
5:44 numbers because if you separated each of
5:46 the accomplishments under those numbers
5:49 each of those players would qualify for
6:01 I have the honor of representing all
6:05 Laker fans here tonight and
6:08 overwhelmingly they asked me to express
6:11 their gratitude and their appreciation
6:14 for all that you've done I am quoting
6:18 some of them here Thank You Kobe for
6:21 your incredible work ethic never giving
6:24 up and somehow figuring out how to
6:27 impose your will on a game and change
6:30 the single-handedly changing the outcome
6:33 Thank You Kobe you taught us what
6:37 happens when you outwork fear with a
6:40 relentless Mamba mentality teaching us
6:45 that failure is a non-existent concept [Applause]
6:46 [Applause]
6:50 Thank You Kobe for not only making the
6:54 players on your team better but you
6:57 forced your opponent to raise their game
7:03 as well Thank You Kobe for inspiring a
7:06 generation of fans to fall in love with
7:10 the game Thank You Kobe for playing
7:12 through enormous pain and sometimes
7:15 putting the team on your back to carry
7:29 and Kobe I thank you for staying loyal
7:41 and and remaining a Laker for life when
7:44 it might have been easier for you to
7:49 leave we asked you for your hustle and
7:53 you gave us your heart which was so much
7:57 more you showed us how to win by sheer
8:01 well hard work and perseverance you have
8:13 your legacy is much greater than
8:17 basketball no one will ever wear eight
8:21 or 24 again for the Lakers because they
8:34 the time has come Lakers fans please
8:36 direct your attention up to the
8:39 southeast corner of the arena were
8:43 number eight and number 24 will hang forever
8:44 forever
8:49 as we honor one of our Lakers rates Kobe Bryant
8:51 Bryant [Applause]
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10:08 I want to say you know it's thank you so
10:13 much for tonight but you know it's not
10:18 it's not about my jerseys that are
10:20 hanging up there for me you know it's
10:21 about the jerseys that were hanging up
10:27 there before and without them I couldn't
10:30 be here today they inspired me to play
10:33 the game by the high level magic cab
10:36 Shack pushing me every day
10:40 Baelor Chamberlain Goodrich Wes worthy
10:44 goes on and on and secondly it's about
10:48 this class organization and Jerry Buss
10:50 your father believing in a skinny old
10:53 kid from Lower Merion High School in
11:00 Philadelphia and it's also about the
11:04 next generation it's about it's
11:13 it's about it's about embodying the
11:15 spirit that exists in those jerseys up
11:17 there and carrying this organization
11:20 forward so that the next 20 years are
11:22 better than the past 20 years and that's
11:29 what it's about and then it's also about
11:39 the media I don't think you guys
11:41 understand how present you guys were
11:42 with me you know you guys were there
11:45 with me at 5:30 in the morning when I
11:46 was running the track and I was midway
11:48 through my workout and I didn't know if
11:50 I could make it through and I thought
11:52 about the expectations you got have you
11:54 guys have for me you have for our team
11:56 and it pushed me through it got me
11:58 through those eight hundreds and for
12:00 hundreds and one hundreds at 5:30 in the
12:10 it's about family it's about my wife
12:15 Vanessa you know you guys don't know
12:17 this but the last game my last game that
12:21 we had here against Utah Jazz I was
12:22 really tired I got home and I was like
12:23 you know what I don't know if I can do
12:26 this thing I got one more game left but
12:28 I don't have any legs and she said I
12:29 want to show you something I got a gift
12:32 for you for your last game and she
12:35 proceeded to show me a row of retired
12:39 jerseys from Baylor for magic from Shack
12:42 from cab all the personal messages
12:44 science' me including for Michael Jordan
12:46 including from the great Bill Russell
12:49 included from the great Larry Bird and
12:51 when I saw that I knew then that I had
12:57 to turn it up I had to turn it off so
12:59 thank you baby for being an inspiration
13:02 to me and and lastly our daughters
13:08 Natalia Gianna and Bianca you know I I
13:11 hope that tonight is not you know you
13:13 guys know that you know if you do the
13:15 work you work hard enough dreams come
13:18 true you know that we all know that but
13:20 hopefully what you get from tonight is
13:24 the understanding that those times where
13:26 you get up early and you work hard those
13:28 times where you stay up late and you
13:29 work hard those times where you don't
13:31 feel like working you're too tired you
13:32 don't want to push yourself but you do
13:36 it anyway that is actually the dream
13:39 that's the dream it's not the
13:41 destination it's the journey
13:44 and if you guys if you guys can
13:46 understand that then what you'll see
13:49 happen is that you won't accomplish your
13:51 dreams your dreams won't come true
13:55 something greater will and if you guys
13:57 can understand that and I'm doing my job
13:59 as a father thank you guys so much I
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