Bryant holds court during final NBA all-star weekend

TORONTO - Kobe Bryant was more than 15 minutes late for his media availability, and it didn't matter.

This was Bryant's day. Just like the NBA all-star weekend here is actually an unofficial Kobe Bryant event.

Some reporters applauded as the Los Angeles Lakers megastar finally took his seat in a Sheraton Centre Toronto ballroom late Friday morning. Journalists from 40 countries in town for the weekend turned Bryant's first news conference of his 18th All-Star Game into the latest stop of a farewell tour that began when he announced his retirement in November.

As many as 100 reporters crammed into a semicircle at least 12 deep around the 20th-year veteran from Lower Merion High School, most of them jockeying for position to record video or get a tape recorder within earshot. Cameramen kept moving people aside in order to get a better view.

A reporter from a local radio station pushed a tiny red bag with a white bow and a cream-colored enveloped addressed, "Dear Kobe," toward Bryant. Inside was a bottle of Brio, an Italian soda made in Canada.

"Ah, thanks, man," Bryant said.

That wasn't the only gift he received in the news conference two days before playing in the All-Star Game at Air Canada Centre.

A reporter, donning a Bryant jersey, presented the Laker a picture of the different Nikes he wore during his career. A reporter from Japan gave him a portrait of a samurai sword-wielding Bryant dressed in a purple kimono standing on the Lakers' half-court logo.

The global icon answered questions in English, Spanish, and Italian. He even learned from a reporter how to say "thank you" in Arabic and gave shout-outs to fans in India, Greece, Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan.

One would assume that Bryant would be a little emotional, considering this is his final game in this type of setting.

"No, I'm happy," he said. "This is pretty cool. I'm looking around the room and seeing guys that I played with that are tearing up the league that were like 4 during my first All-Star Game. It's true, I mean, how many players can say they've played 20 years and actually have seen the game go through three, four generations?

"You know what I mean? It's not sad at all. I mean, I'm really happy and honored to be here and see this."

While he's destined to receive overwhelming applause from fans, the 37-year-old doesn't have any expectations or demands for the game Sunday. He just wants to have an enjoyable time.

"No man, zero," he responded to being asked whether he aspired to winning a fifth all-star MVP award. "I mean I'd tell you if [that was the goal]. I've never been one to really pull punches.

"But no, I'm just really enjoying this whole thing and enjoying these players and talking to them one more time, going out and practicing and enjoying that moment. So the competitiveness in terms of me trying to establish something and prove something, that's gone."

In fact, Bryant doesn't expect many minutes on Sunday.

"I'll be good with 10," he said.

For the most part, Bryant was bombarded with non-basketball questions. And he didn't seem to mind. He was thoughtful and humorous.

Someone asked how he felt about playing in Toronto, where the temperature was 6 degrees below zero Saturday.

"It's cold," Bryant said. "Really, really cold."

He was also asked to name three Canadians without mentioning rapper Drake.

"[Wayne] Gretzky and [Steve] Nash and [Andrew] Wiggins," Bryant said. "I'll throw Rachel McAdams in there. How about that?"

He even laughed when asked what he would do during his first day of retirement.

"Probably wake up, have some coffee, and go back to sleep," Bryant said.

Bryant was also asked whether he would miss his interaction with the media.

"I'm not going to lie to you," he said, "and say yes."

kpompey@phillynews.com

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