The best of Kobe Bryant at All-Star Media Day

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers was quite the popular fella during Media Day, the final stop before he suits up for his 18th and last All-Star Game on Sunday.

Everyone was looking to get a piece of "The Black Mamba," with a sea of media surrounding him as he sat down for his scrum.

Fans will have a say in who gets named the All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player this year by using player-specific emojis on social media. Bryant is the sentimental favorite to take home the hardware, but it's not something he's overly concerned with, having won the award a record four times already.

He may not be on the floor long enough to impact the game and warrant enough votes, anyway. Bryant has dealt with his fair share of injuries, including a sore shoulder and Achilles, so if he can avoid playing heavy minutes on Feb. 14, he will.

With 1,325 regular-season games under his belt and 20 years of experience, the 37-year-old is surprised he's still playing at all.

The Lakers have fallen on hard times of late, finishing with fewer than 30 victories in each of the last two years, while currently possessing a 11-44 record. Dirk Nowitzki, who was a rare snub from the Western Conference All-Star team, got recruited in free agency two summers ago by Bryant to potentially join him in Los Angeles, but to no avail.

You'd think it was Bryant's birthday with all of the gifts he was receiving. This piece of artwork featuring the two-time scoring champion dressed in a kimono and wielding a samurai sword may have been the best of the bunch.

Can't the "Crying Michael Jordan" meme leave well enough alone for one afternoon?