Diana Taurasi, the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, avoided the spectacle of retirement ceremonies and left the game on her own terms.

Any of those poses could be used for a much-deserved statue of ... playing at then-Staples Center in front of family and friends at the home arena of her good friend, the late Kobe Bryant.

her and Kobe's anniversary ... known as the Staples Center and forever known as The House That Kobe built -- where the late Los Angeles Lakers legend was honored with a statue of his likeness ...

Baron Davis, the South Central L.A. legend, is navigating the transition of life after hoops with his second love: rapping.

For the first time, Kobe Bryant would have a legitimate rival down the Staples Center hallway ... you'll drive to South Central and see a big ass statue of me right in front of my granny's ...