Los Angeles Lakers Guard Kobe Bryant Announces He Will Retire After The Current NBA Season; ‘This Season Is All I Have Left To Give’
37-year-old Kobe Bryant announced on Nov. 30 he will retire after the current season of the National Basketball Association. The veteran player entered the league in 1996 and has been playing for the Los Angeles Lakers since then.
ESPN reported that the Lakers guard has helped his team win five championships over his 20-year stay with the team.
Bryant posted a piece on Sunday entitled "Dear Basketball" where he announced his plan on retiring from the basketball league.
He said that basketball "gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream and I'll always love you for it."
Bryant continued, "But I can't love you obsessively for much longer. This season is all I have left to give."
"My heart can take the pounding, my mind can handle the grind, but my body knows it's time to say goodbye and that's OK," the veteran wrote.
Bryant said in his piece that he is "ready to let go" and wanted to "savor every moment" that is left.
Meanwhile, Lakers coach Byron Scott said Bryant's "purpose is to finish out this season and play."
"I think he still loves this game," Scott told reporters. "He still has a passion for it. He's still a competitive young man."
Scott revealed he was surprised when Bryant told him Saturday that he will declare his retirement on the next day. The Lakers coach also said he is sad with Bryant's decision.
"He kind of shocked me when he told me. [I'm] just sad more than anything. Just sad more than anything. Somebody who I truly care about, have a lot of respect for. I think it's always hard when greatness like Kobe decides to hang it up," he said.
Reuters reported on the same day that Bryant was the 13th overall pick of Charlotte Hornets during the 1996 NBA Draft but was traded to Lakers for Serbian Vlade Divac.
The veteran guard was given the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award during the 2007-2008 regular season. Aside from that, Bryant has appeared in a total of 17 All-Star games.
Bryant scored a career-high of 81 points during a game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, which is the second-highest number of points scored in just one game in the history of NBA.
The 6 foot 6 player was ranked by the ESPN in 2007 as the second greatest shooting guard of all-time time next to Michael Jordan.