Those who have just recently started watching basketball have no idea what a pleasure it was to watch Kobe Bryant perform at the highest level the Association has to offer.

In the midst of his worst season as a pro, one of the greatest players in the history of the game announced via The Players Tribune on Sunday that this will be the final season of his career. 

In what was obviously a passionate essay, Bryant indicated that he simply doesn't have anything else to give a game that he's already given so much to: 

Here's an excerpt from Bryant's announcement: 

"You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I’ll always love you for it.
But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye."

A five-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP, Bryant will finish his career with the third-most points in Association history.