NBA History: Kobe Bryant retires two numbers with Los Angeles Lakers!

18-time NBA All-Star, five-time NBA championship, the "Black Mamba", former legendary basketball player of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bean Bryant will have both jerseys, number 8 and number 24, retired during a halftime ceremony to be held on December 18.

The honorable event will take place when the Lakers host the Golden State Warriors at the STAPLES Center, according to Lakers' official release on Tuesday.

Kobe will become the 10th player in the history of the Lakers' organization to earn the honor of retiring a jersey number, joining Wilt Chamberlain (13), Elgin Baylor (22), Gail Goodrich (25), Earvin “Magic” Johnson (32), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33), Shaquille O’Neal (34), James Worthy (42), Jerry West (44) and Jamaal Wilkes (52).

Kobe is also the first NBA player who can have two numbers retire within the same team. On August 24, 2016, Eric Garcetti, the Mayor of Los Angeles announced the day as "Kobe Bryant Day".

“Kobe’s jerseys are taking their rightful home next to the greatest Lakers of all time. There was never any doubt this day would come, the only question was when,” said Lakers CEO and Controlling Owner, Jeanie Buss to the league.

“This honor is very well deserved. Kobe was one of the greatest Lakers and NBA players of all-time and he’s definitely on my Mount Rushmore. I look forward to seeing BOTH of his jerseys be retired and celebrating this special day with Kobe and his family,” Lakers President of Basketball Operations, Earvin “Magic” Johnson told the league.

Kobe entered NBA in 1996 with the number 8 on his back. He had been playing with that number for ten years during which he achieved three NBA champions (2000-2002), the first scoring leader (2006), and the second most points in a single game in NBA history, making 81 points in the game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.

"Kobe Bryant Day" announced on August 24, 2016.

Kobe changed his number into 24 in 2007,

which he lead another decade-long part of his career. He then had the second scoring leader (2007), one NBA MVP (2008), and two more NBA champions (2009-2010).

On November 29, 2015, Kobe announced that he would retire after season 2015-2016, following a self-written poem "Dear Basketball". On April 13, 2016, at his last game between the Lakers and the Utah Jazz, Kobe scored 60 points, the highest of all retiring players in NBA history. Then he officially said goodbye to the league with "Mamba out".

Kobe is one of Chinese basketball fans' favorite basketball players in the past two decades. A famous joke in China is that he has six billion fans in China and all over the world. Upon the announcement, many Chinese fans have commented at the different sports websites:

• "My youth is officially retiring..."

• "Kobe is the love of my life, he deserves the glory!"

• "Thank you, Kobe, for bringing me all those happiness."

• "Kobe is all I can remember about basketball."

(CGTN)