Los Angeles Lakers Latest News: Kobe Bryant to retire after 2015-16 NBA Season [VIDEO]
Bryant made the announcement Sunday by way of The Player’s Tribune, stating that “this season is all I have to give”.
The 37-year-old had been mum on his plans after this season with many believe he would continue to play on which included possible plans of playing overseas.
All those rumors are now laid to rest with his recent post titled “Dear Basketball” which came in the form of a poem.
Part of that post reads:
“But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer,” Bryant wrote. “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. I’m ready to let you go.”
Bryant saw the last couple of seasons riddled by injuries, preventing him from finishing a regular season. His most recent run-in with injury was a torn rotator cuff which he suffered earlier this year and such was compounded by a series of new injuries that started in the preseason.
Kobe was highly criticized after their blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors where he took 1 of 14 shots which tied the same forgettable feat he did against the San Antonio Spurs back in 2014.
At that time, Kobe remained positive that his shooting would get better, backed by the fact that Scott made it known that he will not bench Bryant anytime soon.
Kobe’s planned retirement after this season shook the NBA world a bit, seeing a lot of fans reminiscing about what the Black Mamba had achieved through his career.
Great Scott! What Now?
With Kobe Bryant making it known that he is playing his last season, focus now shifts on what head coach Byron Scott will do.
Will he continue to utilize Kobe Bryant or start diverting his attention to the younger guys like sophomore Jordan Clarkson or rookie D’Angelo Russell?
Scott has been under fire for the team’s sorry performance, part of which included the manner he was using Russell.
He admitted staying away from reading social media cries and believes that he is on course with the Lakers plans.
The Lakers were not considered to make a big impact this season but with a 2-14 record as of this writing, the position the Lakers are in was not something many had expected.
With Kobe out, Scott is expected to deal with more woes ahead and if he is not careful could end up out of the purple and gold ballclub as well.
Check out the video of his visit to Manila, Philippines back in June, 2011.
