An incredible career headlined by tongue-dangling reverse slams, clutch fade-away jumpers, five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, two Olympic gold medals, and 17 All-Star selections is coming to an end. It has become apparent over the past several seasons that injuries have taken a toll on one of the greatest athletes the game has ever seem. Having entered the league out of high school as an 18 year-old, the seemingly ageless Kobe Bryant has been declared out for the season for the second year in a row. Facing a recovery time of approximately nine months, the 36 year-old's body is simply beginning to break down.
A near 20-year career as one of the NBA's top scorers led Bryant to overtake Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list, moving into third place this season. Kobe has been compared to MJ throughout his career and video comparisons between the two reveal an eerie similarity in their style of play. Like Jordan, Bryant lived atop the NBA world throughout his career, winning big games as well as two scoring titles while swimming in a pool of talented scorers such as Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, and Vince Carter. In an era of point-hungry athletes, Bryant only won the league MVP once, yet lived his life atop the NBA world. An 81-point performance in 2006 was, by far, the most dominant game by any one player since Wilt Chamberlain.
A perfect example of a seemingly insurmountable feat, Bryant effortlessly dropped 81 of his team's 122 points with the silkiest of touches. 55 of those points came in the second half. Over the course of NBA history, only four players have surmounted 60 points in a single game on multiple occasions and Bryant did it five times.
A player that started close to every game in each of his 19 seasons, Bryant has been the heart of the purple and gold in Los Angeles. An heir to some of the game's all-time greats, Bryant did not shy away from the spotlight and, in fact, excelled while constantly being compared to the likes of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He now leads a Hall of Fame cast of all-time Lakers in games played, minutes, three-point field goals, steals, and has even scored more points in a Lakers uniform than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. What more does he have to play for?
Over four thousand points behind the league's second all-time scorer, Karl Malone, and nearly six thousand back from Abdul-Jabbar, Bryant would need to replicate at least two of his best scoring seasons in order to move up again in the standings. Even Bryant, himself, may be understanding of that fact, which would leave his love of the game as the primary explanation for any resistance to retire. As the saying goes, basketball is life, and Bryant has lived a highlight reel of a career.
My guess is this is not the last time we will see Kobe Bryant in a Lakers uniform. But my advice to him is to step aside from the game and let his body fully recuperate. Bryant would be wise to take a year or two off, see how the Lakers shape up, and then judge whether or not he will officially remove himself from the game. There's always the option of coming out of retirement like Jordan did (several times).
It has been tough to watch the Lakers over the last two seasons without Kobe. The end of an era is approaching and fans have almost become accustomed to the transition period that will eventually lead to the addition of number 24 to the rafters.
Bryant's game has decreased in efficiency, but has not become any less enjoyable to watch. The once high-flying, afro-headed Bryant who took Brandy to prom is now long gone. Instead a crisp, bald-headed, seasoned veteran has taken form and is facing this challenge as only he could. But the Black Mamba is hardly a shell of his former self. The gritty champion has continued to impose his scoring will and will strive to return again next season. Once a thirteenth overall selection in the draft, traded from the Charlotte Hornets to one of the NBA's most successful franchises, Bryant has never shied away from a single challenge. Retirement will certainly fall under that category and while I say it is time, he will assuredly debate that to the fullest, silencing every critic who doubts that he can play into his forties.