Published by
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA — In the bowels of the Wells Fargo Center, a man wearing a black jacket and carrying a mysterious past cupped Kobe Bryant’s right hand in his, pulled him close, and hugged him warmly. It was late on the night of Dec. 1, 2015, a couple of hours after the 76ers had beaten the Los Angeles Lakers in Bryant’s final basketball game in Philadelphia. He had announced that he was retiring at the end of that season, his 20th with the Lakers. The revelation had transformed the team’s schedule into a farewell tour for him, and he was feted in no other NBA city that season like he was that nig…