Kobe Bryant Sits Down For First Post-Retirement Interview, Plays Prank With Ellen DeGeneres

By
Ellen

Now that Kobe Bryant’s retired, he’s ready to have a good time! The former L.A. Laker made his first post-retirement televised interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday.

Bryant seemed to be in good spirits after his record-smashing final game earlier this month.

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“I couldn’t believe that it actually happened, that this moment was actually here, that this was the game,” he said of the night he scored 60 points.

And though the 37-year-old claimed he was calm the morning of his last hurrah, Bryant noted that everything changed when he entered the Staples Center.

“When I walked in the arena and you can kind of feel the electricity, you just kind of start getting nostalgic,” he said. “Then you realize everybody (is) here to watch this final game – don’t suck.”

Even Bryant’s two daughters, Natalia and Gianna, were impressed by his performance.

MORE: Kobe Bryant Receives an Outpouring of Tribute From Celebrities Ahead of His Final Game

“It was like, ‘Dad where did that come from?’ and I was like, ‘Honey, I used to be pretty good back in the day.’”

These days Bryant is enjoying some fun off the court, which was obvious during a hidden camera prank he did for the talk show host. In the hilarious clip, DeGeneres called an esthetician to consult with Bryant about his “excessive sweating.”

Copying the host’s lines word-for-word, Bryant said, “Let me explain the sweating. It starts on my upper cheek, my left upper cheek, my buttocks. It starts dipping down to my knee, then it drips upwards. It goes up, up, up to my ear and wraps around my neck. Then from there it’s like a shower.”


ET exclusively spoke
with Bryant's former teammate Lamar Odom at his final game and the reality star had nothing but praise for the basketball legend. Watch the tribute to Bryant's career below!