KOBE BRYANT said it was “surreal” to find out he’d had a day named in his honour.
Los Angeles city councillors took steps to officially name August 24 ‘Kobe Bryant Day’ in honour of the former LA Laker.
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Bryant, 38, retired from basketball after 20 years and five championship titles with the club.
August 24, or 24/8, was named as the day because of the jersey numbers Bryant wore during his Hall of Fame career.
After entering the league straight out of high school in 1996, Bryant took the No 8 shirt.
He wore that number for 10 years – winning three successive titles alongside Shaquille O’Neal between 2000 and 2002.
Ahead of the 2006-07 season, he switched to No 24, the number he had worn at high school.
At a ceremony in downtown LA, Bryant said: “It’s a very surreal experience to have a day named after you.
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“To spend my entire career wearing that golden armor has been a huge blessing.”
Bryant would go on to be named the league MVP in 2008 and win two more titles in 2009 and 2010.
He was named Finals MVP in both of those series.
Bryant retired at the end of the season as the first and only player to spend 20 years with one franchise.
An 18-time All-Star, Bryant was also named to the All-NBA First Team 11 times, the All-Defensive First Team nine times, won the scoring title twice and the Slam Dunk contest, as well as two Olympic gold medals.
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He also scored 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, the second highest total by a single player in history.
One of the most popular athletes in the US, Bryant trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time points list.
Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti added: “Kobe Bryant has taught all of us in Los Angeles that this city has a fighting spirit.
“When I’m in China and I say I’m the mayor of Los Angeles, they say, ‘Oh, where Kobe’s from?'”
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