The Black Mamba knows how to keep fans on their toes…

Kobe Bryant’s plan to retire at 36 years of age after the 2013-14 season, when his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers expires, has gone by the wayside.

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Bryant, 34, has been reenergized by the presence of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash in Los Angeles. With two new All-Star teammates in tow, Bryant now would like to extend his retirement age and play until he hits 40 (via ProBasketballTalk). Also on the agenda: the longer Bryant plays, the better chance he has to catch Michael Jordan’s mark of six total titles.

“My aim is to play until I’m 40 years old and I believe I can do that,” Bryant said. “This year, we added very good players to our squad. Steve Nash, Dwight Howard will make us stronger. Right now, things are not going very well but I believe it’ll get better soon.”

“During the lockout, I had offers from Turkey and other countries,” Bryant said. “Beşiktaş was interested in me and they had talks with my agent, but I want to use the lockout time to recover from my injuries and spend more time with my family so I turned the offers down. Who knows, maybe one day I play basketball in Turkey.”

 

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WRITTEN BY DeAntae Prince – Sporting News & FULL STORY HERE