By: Jamal Smith Sports Editor
Hate him or love him, no one can deny that Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
On Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015 Bryant announced that this season, his 20th in the NBA, would be his last.
Bryant, 37, addressed the media after the Los Angeles Lakers 107-103 loss to the Indiana Pacers, saying that he had made his decision to step away from the game a while ago.
“I’ve known for a while. A decision like this, you can’t make that decision based on outside circumstances,” Bryant said at the post-game press conference.
“It has to be an internal decision, and finally I’ve decided to accept that I can’t actually do this anymore and I’m OK with that,” said Bryant.
Kobe may be an amazing player, but three injury-plagued seasons have held him back.
In the last two seasons, Bryant has only appeared in 41 of 164 Lakers’ games, and he exited last season early due to a torn right rotator cuff.
Since making his return this year to the purple and gold, he has had trouble shooting the ball. Through 15 games this year Bryant is averaging only 16.8 points while shooting .311 from the field and .222 from beyond the arch.
Just a day before his announcement, Stephen A. Smith, a popular sports analyst for ESPN, said that Bryant should retire immediately. Smith called Bryant a liability on the court, and said his dreadful season could damage his legacy.
Bryant’s accomplishments in the eyes of most sports fans will overcome his lackluster final season, and with only 15 games played in the season Bryant has the opportunity to turn it around.
“With 17 NBA All-Star selections, an NBA MVP, five NBA championships with the Lakers, two Olympic gold medals and a relentless work ethic, Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players in the history of our game,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver in a statement. “Whether competing in the Finals or hoisting jump shots after midnight in an empty gym, Kobe has an unconditional love for the game.”
Fans and NBA players are still grappling with the news.
NBA superstar LeBron James was saddened that this is Bryant’s last season.
“I knew I had to be better because of Kobe Bryant. I knew he was in the gym and I knew he was working on his game. And I knew he was great,” said James in an interview with ESPN. “So every day that I didn’t want to work out or every day I felt like I couldn’t give more, I always thought of Kobe.”
No matter where you fall on the love-hate scale with Kobe, it will be sad to not see Bryant on the court.
