Kobe Bryant’s future after the 2015-16 NBA season has been a hot topic of discussion as of late. The 37-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent in July with the superstar yet to make a decision on if he’ll return for a 21st season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Over the past few days, Bryant has talked about his future when addressing the media. There may be a high probability that he’ll retire once his 20th season comes to a close next year with Kobe indicating that if he had to make a decision today, he’d walk away from the game.
Before taking on the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon, head coach Byron Scott made a comment further adding fuel to the fire regarding Bryant’s future. Coach Scott claims Kobe hinted to him retirement is on his mind, via ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.
That’s the first time that he hinted to me that this might be his last year,” Scott said Sunday before the Lakers faced the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden here.
After the loss to the Knicks, Coach Scott said Kobe wants to play every game this season because it may be his last year, via Jared Zwerling.
Byron Scott on Kobe: "He wants to try to play every single game. He said this could possibly be his last year."
— Jared Zwerling (@JaredZwerling) November 8, 2015
If Kobe decided to stick around for another year or two, the superstar assured the Lakers faithful that it would not be with another NBA franchise. The Knicks have been linked to Bryant over the past few months with speculation growing about Phil Jackson potentially trying to lure his former player to New York.
Earlier this week, Bryant made it clear he’s a “Laker for life” and has no intention of playing anywhere else. This wasn’t the first time Kobe has made this comments publicly, and it likely won’t be the last with questions about his future bound to continue to follow the future Hall of Famer during his 20th season in Los Angeles.