This may not be anything new but his answers are getting more definitive.
Former NBA player Damon Jones, speaking for Nike Basketball, asks Kobe Bryant how long he will play in the NBA. There wasn’t much hesitation in his answer.
“Probably two years max. Next year might be it. It’s one of those things I think I’ll wake up and I’ll know. And if it’s it for me then and that’s it. And there’s no looking back.”
We have to keep in mind that Kobe Bryant has been in the league since he was a teenager. And he’s in his 17th year. Bryant is 34 years old and that’s not a young man in the National Basketball Association.
—- See Kobe Bryant through the years in photos! —-
Like I said, Kobe Bryant talking retirement isn’t anything new. But he’s been talking about it more and more and he seems to be saying a lot more that next year is his last year. Next year is also the last year of his current Laker deal that will pay him upwards of $30 million. There’s no doubt that he still has the skill and his play on the basketball court hasn’t eroded much.
Kobe has hinted retirement in an interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and he hinted it again after a game against the Philadelphia 76ers in December.
He could be gone before we know it. As I remind you from time to time, let’s enjoy Kobe while he’s still playing on the court. One day, we could wake up and realize that Kobe Bryant could be done playing.
Just like Kobe will wake up one day and realize that he’s retiring.