As Bryant departs, Curry steps up

THE state of California was the place to be on Wednesday evening for basketball fans. Two famous arenas - one in Los Angeles, the other in Oakland - were about to witness history in the making.

The final day of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) regular season was the last time that Kobe Bryant - the Los Angeles Lakers stalwart for the past 20 years - would play a competitive match.

No one would have begrudged the 37-year-old if he had a poor game against the Utah Jazz at the Staples Center, but Bryant was determined to cap his professional career in style.