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Toronto • The moment Kobe Bryant will savor most from his final All-Star weekend was one the world never saw.
There were plenty of highlights to cherish, actually. The way his daughters beamed when they got to meet and take a picture with Stephen Curry after the game. A conversation with Michael Jordan. Getting sought out by Magic Johnson for a talk about legacy. Private chats with teammates in the locker room, which he enjoyed tremendously.
But the quintessential one to Bryant came in the wee hours of Sunday morning inside a rented-out restaurant, where he was the guest of honor at a celebration arranged by Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade.
Bryant was publicly serenaded all weekend, and having 20,000 fans chant his name left him beaming. Having three longtime rivals quietly pay tribute meant even more.
"It was really special," Bryant told The Associated Press on Sunday night after scoring 10 points in his last All-Star appearance, a 196-173 win for the West over the East. "Those are the things you don't get a chance to hear when you're competing against each other. To hear those stories now, you have such a deep sense of appreciation and such a brotherhood from all the years of competing against each other. It just felt good."
They gave him some silly gifts. They presented him with a giant bottle of wine, a 1996 vintage in a nod to his rookie season. And they told Bryant what he meant to their lives.
"Respect," Wade said. "That's what it was. It was about respect, ours for him and the respect he's given us. I just wanted to tell him that his respect meant a lot, means a lot, to my career. I went down a list of moments, gave people insight on Kobe and the way he thinks. It was just appreciation, man. His drive, his competitiveness, it helped me early in my career because I wanted to be on his level."
Wade gave him a customized robe and some other clothes bearing his logo — along with a one-year subscription to Netflix, because Bryant is about to have a lot of time on his hands. Paul gave him a bunch of presents that he said would properly prepare Bryant for retirement, such as dental adhesive, reading glasses, compression socks and a cane. Anthony offered a magnum of Gaja Barbaresco, Italian wine for the player who grew up in Italy.