Vanessa Bryant says Kobe comeback rumors are false

Sorry, Lakers fans. Vanessa Bryant put an end to the persistent Kobe comeback rumors on Instagram reignited by Shaq on TMZ.

The dream of seeing Kobe Bryant and LeBron James on the same court together this season have been shelved, at least for the time being.

Vanessa Bryant responded to a fan on Instagram who commented on her vacation video over in Cabo, Mexico, and made it clear Kobe is not coming back.

The rumors of a Mamba comeback fired up once again recently when Shaquille O’Neal told TMZ, “Kobe coming back I heard. Kobe coming back! You heard it here first!”

Sure, Shaq has a history of joking around and trolling, but Mamba fans held up hope just the same. Just days earlier it was reported by Lakers Nation that Kobe Bryant and the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum were working out together on the court.

The pieces of the puzzle were lining up to some type of viral comeback for No. 24…until reality arrived when fan Sammy Quiocho, boldly laid out the question directly, “Is Kobe coming back or not? I know it’s lowkey up to you” on Vanessa Bryant’s latest Insta update.

Vanessa’s reply was crystal-clear, so barring this all being part of a larger fake out, reverse psychology viral campaign… Kobe’s probably not coming back.

"Kobe will not be coming out of retirement to play again. He doesn’t want to play again and frankly we really enjoy spending time together as a family without the crazy game schedule interfering with birthdays, holidays and special events."

Now, the optimist might still look at the fact that Vanessa acknowledged the rumor at all as some type of sign. Stranger things have happened in the world of online viral campaigns. On the other hand, not everything is necessarily an intricate Mission: Impossible style master plan. Vanessa’s response 99.9 percent appears to shut the door on any type of Kobe comeback as a player for the time being, and most likely forever. At least Shaq let Lakers fans dream for a few days of Bryant doing a Michael Jordan-esque comeback.

Of course, now that the idea is out there and the Lakers’ legend is obviously aware of it, maybe there’s still a chance Inception style. Never say never, Lakers fans!