Despite if you are a fan of Kobe Bryant or not, if you are a fan of good basketball then you too will not be looking forward to the day that we see Kobe take his last shots as an NBA player. Believe it or not, that time could come sooner than later; however, the NBA may not be Kobe’s last stop playing basketball.
Kobe has been in the league for 20 seasons now and just in recent years his decline in performance has become virtually noticeable. Fortunately–I guess–the decline is not really due to Kobe’s talent because that side of his game is undeniably still in tact but, his body seems to not be able to keep up with him. Two seasons ago, Kobe suffered the achilles injury that left him missing the 2013-14 playoffs and ultimately, the Lakers were swept by the Spurs. Fast forwarding to the last season, he was out after just returning following a shoulder injury that he suffered in January of this year.
Talk about bad luck or extremely hard work on his body over the years, depending on how you want to look at it. Now, Kobe is prepared to return to the league in what could be his final season in the NBA. Seeing how the Western Conference is set up the way it is, many pro-analysts are not giving the Lakers a chance to even sniff the playoffs. With that said, knowing Kobe, I know he wants at least another shot at a championship so maybe he will return depending on how this season goes.
One thing Kobe has said, though, is that even if he does retire from the NBA, he could continue playing ball over seas! In a Q&A session with Yahoo Sports Kobe Was asked:
Q: “After growing up in Italy and spending time in China, could you see yourself ending your career playing in either place?”
Kobe: “I can see myself doing that. I can see myself doing a lot of stuff. That a whole other question. I will make some decisions when I decide to hang it up.”
So, basketball fans, I guess we don’t have to worry too much if Kobe does decide to leave the league after this next season. My honest opinion though, if Kobe has so much left in the tank, why would he give it up and not chase a chance to bring another championship to LA?
Kobe is just talking. if he’s gonna play competitive basketball, he wants it to be against the best.. and the best are in the NBA.