Kobe Bryant to Retire — Twitter Erupts in Appreciation

Kobe Bryant -- 17-time NBA All-Star, five-time NBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, 11-time all-NBA first teamer and a surefire Hall-of-Famer -- announced this season will be his last in a poem on The Players' Tribune.

Bryant talked about his decision to hang 'em up following Sunday's game against the Pacers:

As expected with news of this magnitude by a player of this caliber, reaction was swift and immense, with people from all walks of life chiming in on Twitter to pay homage to Bryant.

Meanwhile, if you'd like to re-live some of Kobe's classic moments, check some of them out below: