Kobe hints this season may be last
All signs indicate Kobe Bryant is playing out the last season of his career
One of the largest secondary stories in the NBA stratosphere over the last year-and-a-half has been the ongoing saga with Kobe Bryant. Between injuries and the Los Angeles Lakers officially rebuilding from winning five championships in Bryant’s tenure, there has been much speculation that Kobe’s 20th season is his final.
On Wednesday, the 37-year-old Bryant hopped on Sirius XM’s NBA channel for an interview, and admitted that if nothing changes, this should be the end for him in purple and gold.
Frank Isola, Sirius XM NBA contributor and New York Knicks beat writer for the New York Daily News, tweeted:
Kobe told Coach K on SiriusXM that "if something changes 'll come back and play next season. If something doesn't change this is it for me."
— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) November 19, 2015
Bryant isn’t necessarily an “iron man” in the strict definition of the term, but he’s slowly carved out an unbelievable career in his 20 years in the NBA since being drafted in 1996. His injury history is well-documented (and that graphic is from January 2014, not accounting the last 18+ months). He’s never been the healthiest, but he’s always been one of the most competitive, and it’s that continuous drive to win and be the greatest Laker in history that has clearly kept him going.
The unprecedented 17-time All-Star — second behind Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s 19 All-Star appearances — 2007-08 Most Valuable Player and two-time NBA Finals MVP (2008-09 and 2009-10) is third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list behind Karl Malone and Abdul-Jabbar. Oh, there are also those five NBA Championships…
The Lakers are off to a 2-8 start, and unless something changes, it seems like Bryant will end up retiring as his team misses the postseason in his final season. as controversial as Bryant has been over the years, that would ultimately be a bittersweet way for the second best shooting guard in NBA history (behind Michael Jordan, obviously) to go out.