Why Kobe Bryant's "Game Over" tweet is a 'game'
What it is: The first tweet in Kobe Bryant, the NBA star and reigning MVP,'s nearly three-decade career.
What it means: Bryant's tweet was the first to refer to a close game in the Los Angeles Lakers' 116-116 overtime loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
It is the first time a player in the history of the NBA has publicly referred to a game as a "game."
Who says it matters: Bryant, a longtime Lakers legend who won three championships, had been asked earlier in the week whether the tweet mattered.
He told ESPN: "That's what I'm saying.
That's the game.
You're not supposed to have an opinion on that.
You just play the game and do what you're supposed to do."
Who said it didn't matter: Kobe Bryant.
He was asked the question by an ESPN Insider reporter in the postgame locker room, according to the outlet's report.
Bryant didn't say he thought it mattered, but he did say he didn't think it mattered because he was talking about the game in general, according the outlet.
"I don't think that's what we're talking about, you know?"
Bryant said.
"It's just a game.
It's not like the whole season is about what you have to do in a certain game to win a championship.
I'm not saying that.
I know the game is not like that.
But I just don't really feel like we have to talk about the specific game, you're talking so much about the entire season."
He added, "We're going to play our best game.
We're going a different way, we're going against our best players.
It doesn't matter what team we're playing."
Is this a sign of a bigger change in Bryant's approach?
Bryant's postgame comments came after he scored 19 points and dished out three assists in 24 minutes, leading the Lakers to a 115-114 overtime victory.
Afterward, he was asked if he felt like he was the team's leader.
"Absolutely," he said.
The Lakers have not won a game since March 1, 2000, when Kobe Bryant led them to a 108-104 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals.
Bryant also had 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the victory, and his 15-point performance helped the Lakers overcome an 18-point second-half deficit.
He finished with a team-high 10 assists and five steals, and he was a minus-6.3 overall.
On Wednesday, Bryant took to Twitter to announce that he would be wearing a red "L" during the game, an homage to his former teammate Magic Johnson.
"Tonight, I am wearing a Red L and standing for Life," Bryant tweeted.
"For those of you who are not aware, my father is the owner of the LA Lakers and my grandfather is a retired NBA player, both of whom were in the NBA.
I am truly honored to be wearing this jersey.
I will wear this for the rest of my career and for the future of the Lakers."
Bryant was the only player in NBA history to score more than 20 points in a game, a feat he accomplished with the Los Angeles in 1988.
The previous high was 30 points by Chris Webber against the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 27, 2010.
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