ESPN To Air Kobe Bryant's Last NBA Game In Honor of the Basketball Legend

Sometimes mourning the death of a hero means looking back on all the things that made that person great. Perhaps a sense of closure and celebration will come to Kobe Bryant fans when ESPN replays the legendary shooting guard's final game before he retired in the spring of 2016. Look for Bryant's farewell performance Monday, Jan. 27, at 9/8c on ESPN. The Big Monday matchup between Oklahoma State and Kansas that had been scheduled in this time slot will now air on ESPN2, the network announced.

It was in that April 13, 2016 game that Bryant scored 60 points in a Los Angeles Lakers victory over the Utah Jazz. After the game, the father and husband talked to reporters and swatted away rumors that he might return to the NBA someday.

"The coolest thing is that my kids actually saw me play like I used to play," Bryant said at the time. "I feel great. I'm extremely happy. It's a very joyful day, to be able to have this experience and have this moment. But yeah, I will never play an NBA game again. A lot of people say, 'Never say never.' Never."

Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna "Gigi" Maria-Onore Bryant were two of the nine people who perished in a helicopter crash Sunday morning in Calabasas. Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli also died alongside his wife Keri and his daughter, Alyssa.

Arguably one of the greatest and most iconic players in the history of the NBA, Bryant entered the league right out of high school and played for 20 seasons with the Lakers, where he won five championships and still holds the franchise record for most points scored (33,643). A two-time Olympic gold medalist and 18-time all star, Bryant and star center Shaquille O'Neal helped usher in the Lakers' historic three-peat championship triumphs in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

ESPN isn't the only network paying tribute to Bryant's career achievements. Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel  will also air an retrospective on the beloved athlete, who later became a philanthropist and Oscar winner. The Real Sports tribute, which includes interviews with Bryant in 2000 and 2016, airs Tuesday at 10/9c on HBO.