Should
Kobe Really Consider Retirement?
Nineteen years in
the NBA Kobe Bryant has endured. He is the last of his 1996 draft class,
arguably the greatest NBA draft class, to still be playing in the NBA at an
elite level. His number of accomplishments is infinite. He’s overcome countless
setbacks many thought that would have been the end of him. He’s never been
known to take the easy route and this time shouldn’t be any different. So when
the question comes up on whether, the great, Kobe Bryant should retire or not,
my answer is a definitive and firm, N-O. There is no way in hell that the
legendary folklore of Kobe Bryant can end on such a negative note of injury, on
a season where he led the league in scoring for a lengthy timetable, played an
unreasonably high amount of minutes at age 36, and even achieved a game with a
career high assist total.
Kobe
can still Ball, and the Fans think so too
Kobe Bryant has
proven that he can play at an elite level of basketball this season, whether
people agree or not. Is he playing at the same level he did 5, 10 years ago? No,
but the vast majority of NBA players would love to be averaging 22.3ppg,
5.6apg, and 5.7rpg. His legendary work ethic is what got him to be averaging
those totals, even in his 19th season in the NBA while averaging
more than 35 minutes per game in the majority of those seasons. This same work
ethic is what will help him arise in the 2015-2016 NBA season with some more
troops to make one last run at an end of one of the greatest players to ever
touch a basketball. The fans still want to see him play, as the NBA All-Star
voting proved. They long to see the circus shots that no other player could
make, or even attempt to execute, the nostalgia of a player who’s career has
been mirrored by none other than the greatest of them all, Michael Jordan, and
one of the last players in the NBA who play and carry themselves with an old
school mentality.
He
does, indeed, have a shot at a Title
Many would argue
that Bryant doesn’t have a shot at a good run at an NBA Championship, but they
forget the Lakers have a top 5 pick next year (unless the Cavs somehow manage
to get the 1st pick of the draft somehow), return Julius Randle, and
have enough cap space to sign some pretty good players. There’s no question
that Bryant would have to approach his run with a different mentality and that
the Lakers may have to trade a young piece to actually think about contending, and
that the possibility is extremely low; however, the possibility is still there.
Kobe has to play more similar to how he did right before his injury than he did
the start of the 2014-2015 season as well, but it seems he is more than willing
to take on that role with the results he saw.
Yes
it’s about the Money!
Lastly, and lets
be honest and frank here, why in the world would Kobe give up over 25 Million
dollars plus a good chunk more for endorsements? Yes, it’s true that he has
made a lot throughout his long career, but for anyone to give that type of
money up would have to be delirious. Call it greed, call it classless, call it
whatever you want, but it’s easier for us, as a third party, to say that he
should retire and let go of this type of money. Kobe is no idiot, but there are
many athletes who have gone broke after retiring... No matter how much they had
made during their careers.
The
Final Chapter
Let us come to the conclusion that there is no way that Kobe Bryant is retiring, whether you think he should or not. There are more than 25 millions not to... most of them green, but still there are other reasons too. No real NBA fan could be happy to see him go, let alone go this way. So how about we all buckle up, and hope Kobe Bryant can prove the doubters wrong one more time, shutting the door closed on the final chapter of his career.