At the beginning of his final NBA season, we brought you the story of Kobe Bryant's final high school season, as told by his former teammates.
That was in 1996. By 2013, everything had changed: Bryant was an NBA icon approaching the end of his career. The media world around him had changed radically, too, thanks to the invention of social media and proliferation of pocket-sized computers. For better and worse, gates had been stomped down and gatekeepers had been pushed aside. On Jan. 4, 2013, Bryant logged onto the Internet and hit send on his first message on Twitter.
SEE ALSO:My high school teammate, Kobe BryantBy the time Bryant posted that first tweet, he'd already won five championships, taken home an MVP award, led the league in scoring twice and cemented himself as a Hall of Famer. But much has also happened since, and Bryant has also entered another, more introspective phase of his legendary career.
Bryant has tweeted more than 1,000 times since that maiden voyage -- but Mashable just got an exclusive look from the social network at the athlete's 10 most popular tweets of all time. Taken together, they give a cinematic look at scenes from a career that ranks among the best of all time. Let's count 'em down.
10. Lakers legend
#Laker4Life pic.twitter.com/1hqyMllnoy
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) November 25, 2013
In November 2013, Bryant tweeted a photo of his new contract and promised he'd retire with the same Los Angeles Lakers franchise that landed him out of high school. That sort of consistency is rare in the NBA today; it's also a sizable part of Bryant's mystique. From three-peating with Shaquille O'Neal in the early 2000s, to putting up 81 points in a single game in 2006, to winning two more titles without Shaq in 2009 and 2010, Bryant's career spans several distinct Lakers eras.
Neither he nor the team would experience much success after he signed this deal, but it did guarantee he'd finish where he started.
9. #vicodintweets
Random tears of devastation and doubt mixed with inner determination and will #countonfamily #countonprayer THANKU #vicodintweets comin ha!
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) April 13, 2013
A ruptured Achilles in April 2013 pretty much guaranteed Bryant as we remembered him best was gone for good. This raw, emotional post let fans into his mindset immediately after the injury and showed he'd mastered yet another medium.
8. The beginning
The antisocial has become social #mambatweets
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 4, 2013
The tweet that started it all. From the beginning, Bryant showed a surprising level of openness and self-awareness on Twitter, poking fun at his own curmudgeonly, lone-wolf reputation.
7. If you only knew ...
We played like crap all season so it's only right we get the #2 pick HA #lakerluck #goodday
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) May 20, 2015
Unfortunately, "played like crap" accurately summarizes what the Lakers did for Bryant's last couple years. They earned the second pick in last June's NBA draft for sucking so much, and -- well, let's just say that pick is now adding an awkward undercurrent to Kobe's farewell.
6. "Amnesty THAT"
Amnesty THAT
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) February 24, 2013
Outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban suggested in February 2013 that the Lakers should use the NBA's amnesty provision to release Bryant and cut costs. That might have actually been a pragmatic move from a purely financial perspective -- with Bryant declining in effectiveness yet still commanding a colossal contract -- yet it also represented a certain level of basketball blasphemy. An iconic franchise simply cutting loose one of its most legendary players? Riiight.
Days later, Bryant erupted for 38 points as the Lakers upset Cuban's Mavericks. Then he logged on to Twitter and let the world know what he thought of Cuban's suggestion.
5. Defiant until the end
#BrokenNotBeaten
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) December 19, 2013
Bryant fractured the lateral tibial plateau of his left knee in December 2013, just after returning from his torn Achilles suffered that April. This never-say-die tweet offers a sad glimpse at the tail end of Kobe's career, when his body could no longer keep up with his fabled inner drive.
4. Old guy emojis
Ah ok .. I see .. 🔓🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🔒💤 #mambaout https://t.co/sdx5kpqWwY
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) July 8, 2015
Bryant went from reclusive perfectionist to gregarious elder statesman in his final years, talking about his game and the league with openness and perspective. When a spontaneous emoji war broke out between players during the free agency madness of July 2015, Bryant jumped in with a post referencing his five titles. It would have been hard to imagine him doing something like that just a few years prior.
3. Kiss the rings
Count to 5 https://t.co/5YB1hUKKdF
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) June 6, 2015
Last summer, a random fan asked Bryant how he responds to the debate that defines his career for many critics: Is he a selfish player?
Bryant's response -- again referencing his five championship rings -- was perfect. It shows yet again why he quickly became one of the best athletes to follow on Twitter, engaging candid fan questions with no media filter.
2. The great what if
On this day 18yrs ago the hornets told me right after they drafted me that they had no use for me and were going to trade me #thanku #lakers
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) July 1, 2014
The Charlotte Hornets selected Bryant out of high school in 1996, then traded him that day to the Lakers. What might have happened had that deal not gone down is one of the great mental exercises in NBA history. Just how truly everything developed according to Bryant's narrative isn't perfectly clear, but it's fun to ruminate on nonetheless.
1. The end
Dear Basketball: https://t.co/KDecft6BO2 #KB20
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) November 29, 2015
Bryant announced his retirement in an emotional letter penned to the game of basketball. He linked to that letter in this tweet, a farewell which became his most popular post of all time.
Byrant plays the final game of his career Wednesday night in Los Angeles at 7:30 p.m. PST.
TopicsTwitter
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