Kobe Bryant may be succeeding against all odds this year, but the Black Mamba admitted that retirement has crossed his mind this season and that “anything’s possible.”
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For a whole generation (or two) of NBA fans, they know not what it is like to have a league without Kobe Bryant apart of it. For 19 seasons, Bryant has played in the league, spanning three separate decades. While his recent battles with major injuries – ruptured Achilles and broken bone in leg – has prepped many for life after Bryant, his return this year has begun extinguishing those thoughts.
However, it hasn’t all been easy going for Bryant. After playing the first 27 games to start the season, Bryant began breaking physically, needing a week long break to recoup. Since then, the Mamba has played in seven of the Laker’s 13 games.
The rough patch has left Bryant in a state unlike any we’ve seen the Mamba in before, including him considering retirement.
"When asked whether he has considered retiring at the end of this season, one year before the end of his Lakers contract, he nods his head in agreement.“I’d be lying if I said that it hasn’t crossed my mind,” he tells The Times. “Right now I doubt it … but anything’s possible.”He emphasizes the right now (because, right now, the reality is so muddled and difficult that even the Black Mamba is having trouble wrapping his mind around it.“My body is hurting like crazy, around the clock, and if I don’t want to do this anymore, I won’t do it,” he says."
Bryant’s willingness to step away from the game is something few would have expected just three seasons ago. 2012 saw Bryant revitalized and refueled as he carried an underwhelming, underperforming Lakers team for nearly an entire season on his own. However, as well all know, his body gave way in 2013 and changed the whole landscape of Bryant’s career.
Now, the 36-year old is more realistic about his future than ever, despite his stubbornness. No longer is Bryant intent on playing on 82 games, nor is he capable. Instead, Bryant has resorted to resting on the second night of back-to-backs and even remaining open to the idea of being shut down late in the season.
After nearly two consecutive decades of ball, Bryant no longer is the invincible super hero he once was, and NBA and Lakers fans alike need to start preparing for a league without Bryant sooner rather than later.