Kobe Bryant Sits Down With Ellen DeGeneres For His First Post-Retirement Interview, Pulls Hidden-Camera Prank On A Doctor

Some fans are still reeling from the knowledge that Kobe Bryant is already retired from playing basketball. After all, we’ve been watching him play the game for 20 years.

But Kobe Bryant seems at peace with the fact that he has already played his last game. That game saw Kobe score a whopping 60 points against the Toronto Raptors, capping off a legendary career that earned him five NBA Championships, four All-Star game MVPs, 15 All-NBA appearances, and a Finals MVP.

Now that he is already retired, the 37-year-old former NBA player had a lot more time on his hands, which gave him the opportunity to sit down for his first post-retirement televised interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday, as ET Online reported.

Bryant, who always adopts a serious demeanor during games, was all smiles as he talked candidly with Ellen.

“I couldn’t believe that it actually happened, that this moment was actually here, that this was the game,” Bryant said as he recounted his final game.

When asked what it felt like entering the arena with the knowledge that he’s playing his last game, Kobe admitted that he felt some nostalgia.

The player known as the Black Mamba said that he felt calm when he woke up on the day of his final game. But when he entered the Staples Center, everything changed.

“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.”

A big part of what made Kobe’s legacy great is his ability to make shots when they mattered. But in his final game, Bryant experienced some jitters, making him miss the first five shots.

Since then, Kobe lit up the Raptors, hitting shots from all over the court. Not only did he end up with 60 points as the final buzzer sounded, Kobe also lifted his team to victory.

Bryant recalled to Ellen how impressed his two daughters, Natalia and Gianna, were by the performance.

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

As part of Wednesday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Kobe Bryant participated with Ellen in pulling a hidden-camera prank on a doctor. In the hilarious video, Kobe called for a doctor so she can help him with his “excessive sweating.”

Copying Ellen’s words verbatim, 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.”

The Ellen crowd was in stitches as Kobe went on and on about his sweating problem. At one point, Kobe pulled a jar from his bag, claiming that it contains all the sweat from the first quarter. As expected, the doctor looked baffled but tried her best to act normal.

The hilarity continued as Bryant told the doctor that his teammates made fun of his excessive sweating by singing him a song.

“Sweaty Kobe, okey dokey,” Bryant sang.

The doctor laughed with Kobe when he finally admitted that it was all a prank. When they hugged, Kobe assured the doctor that he was not sweaty (via Ellen’s suggestion, of course), drawing yet another laugh from her.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]