Kobe Bryant Discussion: Mamba Out!

Kobe: 'If something doesn't change this is it for me'
by John Chick Nov 19, 9:26 PM


Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Kobe Bryant still won't definitively say if he's retiring next summer, but he did offer slightly more clarification Thursday.

"If something changes I'll come back and play next season," Bryant told Mike Krzyzewski on the Duke coach's Sirius XM radio show. "If something doesn't change this is it for me."

What could change is unknown, but Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers are 2-9, good for the second-worst record in the Western Conference. The team has no current ability to rapidly upgrade the talent on its roster, so if this is Bryant's last year, his legendary career will almost assuredly end without a final playoff appearance.

While it's been widely assumed this season - Bryant's 20th - is his NBA swan song, he's previously left the door open on continuing his playing days.

"If you asked me today, this would be my last year," Bryant said earlier this month. "But you never know. We'll keep it open. Whatever happens, happens."

Bryant's two-year, $49-million contract expires at the end of the season. While nobody can completely rule out Bryant wearing a different uniform, he has said he's a "Laker for life."

While he eschewed the idea of a Derek Jeter-like farewell tour a year ago, there's been a fair amount of reflection as Bryant has arrived in cities like New York and Dallas, perhaps for the final time as a player.

Father Time is clearly showing on Bryant's legs as well, as the 17-time All-Star is shooting a career-low 33.6 percent from the floor - something he has openly lamented as he attempts to play more than 35 games for the first time since the 2012-13 season.



Hopefully he is still able to play in the last game when I'm there ...

 

Hope that something happens for purely selfish reasons, but it's also perhaps better for the Lakers and youth development if it doesn't happen.

I don't like that

 

He said he may come back if we have a better roster next season ... not related to his level of play .. or did I misunderstand it ?

 

If something doesn't change could mean basically anything from roster upgrades through the change of the coach to the improvement of his very own game. I'm not sure what he meant, but I HOPE it was his efficiency and overall game. I don't want to watch this current version of Kobe for another year, as much as it pains me to write that.

 

Every Lakers fan does not like the effect Boron Scott has on the Lakers' offense, defense, development, future and general well being. Take a hike Scott.

 

It was code for "If we have a new coach" LOL

 

A better coach would actually utilize Kobe a lot better too. I don't think that fact is lost on Kobe, but he's not about to start making waves on the home stretch. He just got paid $50 million to shut the hell up.

 

^He was also defending pringles and potato head publicly as far as I remember. That doesn't mean he was happy with them or is with Byron's way of coaching, he just doesn't want to be the one calling them out IMO, not at this stage of his career. The more I think about it, the more I believe he meant the change of the HC, at least among other changes, in that last quote of his

 

That's code for Kobe's wet and impossible dream of coming to coach the Lakers. How freaking cool would that be ......cough....and here pass this Porsche designed

Keep it moving .....stop fondling it!

 

Meh........ Kobe's been chucking for sure most of the time, but sometimes "Good Kobe" surfaces long enough to actually help the Lakers' side of the flow of the game on offense.

 

Well good Kobe got us our last win. Hopefully he keeps that up.

 

holy s*** kobe played 37 minutes?!

 

Please for the love of all things holy, manage his mins Byron and allow him to play in the last home game cause I have tickets for that one.