No BIG3 for Kobe Bryant next year after all

There was some speculation that Kobe Bryant would come out of retirement and play in the BIG3 league. Well, that dream is all but over now.

There was some chatter — some would say strong chatter — about Kobe Bryant joining the BIG 3 league next season.

It would have been a dream come true for the upstart league, but apparently, that’s what it is now, just a dream.

According to AP NBA writer Brian Mahoney, the marketing team at Kobe Inc. have all but thrown iced cold water on the “Kobe is gonna play in the BIG3” rumors.

Yep, Kobe playing in the BIG3 isn’t going to be, which, surprisingly, caught BIG3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz by surprise. According to Mahoney, Kwatinetz had “credible sources” that told him that Kobe was definitely going to suit up for the BIG3 league next season.

That didn’t really catch anyone off guard. Though he is fully retired, he showed in the last game of his career that he still had some game left in him. That left many to speculate that, after taking some time off to heal his body, he would lace up the sneakers once again to play in Ice Cube’s revolutionary league.

After a few stumbles early, it seems as though the BIG3 league is finding its footing, but it would have gotten a huge boost if Kobe would have joined the league. The man can still play, and he can still sell tickets; but because of the physical nature of the three-on-three league, there were some questions as to whether or not Bryant’s body would hold up.

The answer to those questions, however, still have to wait as Kobe has made it clear — through his marketing team — that he has no interest in returning to the basketball court.

We, for one, don’t blame him.