Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant will close out his 20-year career Thursday morning (Kenyan time) after playing his final basketball game at the Staples Center.
The sold-out game against the Utah Jazz will be the most covered regular season game in NBA history according to analysts. More than double the amount of press credentials were given out to media members from all over the world.
Tickets for the game are priced for as much as $25,000 (Sh2.5 million), which is the most expensive regular season ticket average for any sport ever.
Including playoff games, this will be Bryant's 1,556th game of his career, each one donning a Lakers uniform.
The five-time champion will cap his legacy with a 25.0 scoring average - regardless if he scores any points during the game.
The first three free throws he shoots at his last game will be the 10,000th of his career, which is something only four other players have ever done.
Bryant announced his retirement last November in a poem titled "Dear Basketball."
The two-time Olympic gold medallist, 37, has been hindered by injuries in recent seasons and has been below his best this year for the Lakers.
In a tribute to fellow players, Kobe said: "My body knows it's time to say goodbye."
Bryant was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2008 and selected for the NBA All-Star team on 17 occasions.
He won Olympic gold with the United States in 2008 and 2012.
