A couple weeks ago, Kobe Bryant said, if asked then, he’d retire after this season. But the Lakers star left the door open for a return.
Since, Kobe has said he could barely stand after a game – and that was just his second game in the previous week.
Need another clue about Kobe’s plan?
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (hat tip: Darius Soriano of Forum Blue & Gold):
https://twitter.com/FisolaNYDN/status/667352296855089152
We can debate Kobe’s effectiveness, but at least the baseline is established – and it’s difficult to see room for major improvement. It typically goes only one direction for 37-year-olds.
I think Kobe wants to avoid the pomp and circumstance of a farewell tour. The best way he can control that is not formally announcing his pending retirement. That way, teams can’t reasonably honor him when he visits them.
So, Kobe will keep dropping these strong hints rather than explicitly saying he’ll retire.
There’s always a chance he returns for another season, but at this point, we should take the hint.