那是2013年的四月，当时的科比正处于职业生涯的巅峰，转身、投篮、得分，他就是球场上的主宰。然而，当他试图摆脱对方后卫时，却绊了一下跌倒了。比赛结束前，他再次摔倒，那时他几乎无法走路。
“I remember feeling the silence. I remember feeling the fear... This can be the end,” Bryant recalled in his documentary, Kobe Bryant’s Muse. His fears were well founded. He had ruptured his left Achilles tendon. It was the kind of injury that ended US All-Star player Isiah Thomas’ career.
科比在个人纪录片《科比的缪斯》中回忆起当年的那个场景时说：“我记得当时一片肃静，我记得恐惧的感觉……这可能就是（我职业生涯的）终点。”他完全有理由害怕。他的左脚跟腱断裂，而美国全明星球员伊赛亚•托马斯正是因为同样的部位受伤才结束了自己的职业生涯。
Bidding farewell to a sport you love is hard. But Bryant took an even harder, more painful route: His goodbye lasted for nearly three years.
和自己挚爱的运动告别着实不易。但科比选择了一条更艰难，更痛苦的路：他用了近三年时间说出这句再见。
Seven months after his injury, he was back on the court again. But his performance never quite recovered. Bryant led the Lakers as the team set a record with three consecutive season losses. Over the course of this season, which happens to be Bryant’s last, he logged the worst rate for shooting accuracy in the league.
受伤七个月后，科比重新回到了球场。不过他的表现却远不及受伤前。科比带领的湖人队连续三个赛季刷新负场记录。本赛季，也就是科比的最后一个赛季，他创下了联赛最低投篮命中率。
But for many, Bryant remains a legend. He started out as a basketball prodigy who skipped college and took his talents directly to NBA. His deadly agility and aggressive tactics earned him the nickname Black Mamba. Fans remember him as the player who helped the Lakers clinch five NBA championships in his two-decade long career.
但是对很多人来说，科比依然是一个传奇。他一开始就带着篮球奇才的标签，跳过大学，凭借自己的天赋直接（以高中生身份）进入美国职业篮球联赛（NBA）。在20年的职业生涯中，他惊人的敏捷性和极富攻击性的进攻策略帮助湖人队五次夺得总冠军。
But the sad fact is that the Lakers may have been better off if Kobe played less this season. Last month, they won a game against one of the best teams in NBA history, the Golden State Warriors. Bryant spent the fourth quarter of that game resting on the bench. But the team has otherwise made an effort to keep him on the court, in part to thank him for decades of service. As teammate D’Angelo Russell told CBS, their job this season is to “get Kobe the ball”.
不过令人伤感的事实却是，本赛季科比上场时间越少，湖人队表现得越好。上个月，他们战胜了NBA历史上最强球队之一的金州勇士队。整个第四节比赛科比都坐在替补席上。不过为了感谢科比二十年来的贡献，球队也尽力让他留在赛场上。队友德安杰洛•罗素告诉哥伦比亚广播公司，他们本赛季的任务就是“传球给科比”。
The back-to-back losses forced Lakers coach Byron Scott to defend Bryant. He told the press on numerous occasions that Bryant has earned the right to take as many shots as he wants, despite his fluctuating performances.
比赛接连失利让湖人队教练拜伦•斯科特不得不出来为科比说话。他在无数的场合告诉媒体，尽管表现不稳定，但科比为自己挣得了投篮的权利，他想投多少次都可以。
The Lakers’ fans have also been very supportive. Currently, the Lakers rank as the second-worst team in the league, but it sells more tickets than leading teams like the Golden State Warriors. The reason for this is simple: Fans want to see Bryant playing on the court.
湖人队的球迷也很支持球队这么做。现在湖人队排名全联盟倒数第二，但它却比排名靠前的球队，如金州勇士队卖出的球票更多。原因很简单：球迷们想看科比打球。
Bryant’s final game is scheduled for April 13 at the Staples Center in his home city of Los Angeles. For Bryant, the occasion is bittersweet. In an interview with ESPN, Bryant explained how much these last few games meant to him. “There’s nothing I love more than being able to play this entire season,” Bryant said, “to go through these tough times, to play in these buildings one last time.”
科比的告别赛于4月13日在他家乡洛杉矶的斯台普斯中心进行。对科比而言，这是个悲喜交加的场合。在接受美国娱乐体育节目电视网采访时，科比解释了最后几场比赛对他意味着什么。他说：“我最爱的事就是能打完这个赛季，度过这个艰难的时期，在这些球场里最后再打一次球。”
