Basketball great Kobe Bryant has announced he will retire at the end of the current NBA season.
The Los Angeles Lakers star wrote a poem on Players Tribune announcing his decision. “This season is all I have left to give,” the 37-year-old wrote. The website crashed shortly after he made the posting, but has since come back online.
One stanza of the ode, directed at basketball itself, explains why it’s “time to say goodbye”:
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.
Bryant, who has played for the Lakers for two decades, is a 17-time All-Star and was the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points at the age of 34 — a feat that will see him retire at third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone, and just ahead of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.
Although Bryant’s laundry-list of career achievements, including five NBA titles with the Lakers, two Finals MVP Awards and two Olympic gold medals with Team USA, have cemented his status as an all-time great, his last few seasons have been injury-plagued and forgettable. The aging superstar is currently averaging 15.7 points per game along with 3.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds — among the lowest of his storied career — after playing only 53 games over the last three seasons due to injuries to his knee, shoulder and Achilles tendon.
Bryant will sit down with Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts for an in-depth interview about his retirement, the show announced on Twitter. He also penned a separate, open letter to fans of the team where he has spent a record 20 seasons.
“Whether you view me as a hero or a villain, please know I poured every emotion, every bit of passion and my entire self into being a Laker,” he wrote.
Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, hailed Bryant as “one of the greatest players in the history of our game.” Lakers coach Bryant Scott said he was “shocked” at the player’s decision:
Byron Scott on Kobe's decision to retire: "Sad. We talked about it last night. I told him it kind of shocked me when he told me."
The Lakers will look to break a five-game losing streak and slightly improve their 2-13 record this season when they take on the Indiana Pacers Sunday night, soon after Bryant’s announcement.
See the Major Turning Points of Kobe Bryant’s Career, in Pictures
Kobe Bryant poses for a portrait after being selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 26, 1996. He joined the NBA straight out of high school, and was immediately traded to the Lakers in a previously-agreed deal between the two teams.Andy Hayt—NBAE/Getty ImagesBryant rebounds against the Minnesota Timberwolves in his first regular season game at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Nov. 3, 1996. At the time, he became the youngest-ever player to play in an NBA game.Andrew D. Bernstein—NBAE/Getty ImagesBryant's first big test came against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on May 12,1997. Faced with a must-win fifth game in Round 2 of the Western Conference Playoffs, the young rookie "airballed" four crucial shots — including a game-winner in the fourth quarter and three three-pointers in overtime — as the Lakers were knocked out. Andy Hayt—NBAE/Getty ImagesBryant's real emergence as a budding star came in his second season, when he became the youngest starter in an NBA All-Star Game in New York's Madison Square Garden on Feb 8., 1998. He had already begun to elicit comparisons to Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan, seen here driving past him.Mike Segar—ReutersBryant (left) holds the Larry O'Brian trophy as teammate Shaquille O'Neal holds the MVP trophy after winning their first NBA Championship against the Indiana Pacers at Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 19, 2000. It would be the first of three consecutive titles for the star duo. AFP/Getty ImagesBryant, Lindsey Hunter and Shaquille O'Neal celebrate their win over the New Jersey Nets in Game four of the 2002 NBA Finals at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. on June 12, 2002. Bryant, aside from further cementing his superstar status, became the youngest player to win three NBA titles.Jesse D. Garrabrant—NBAE/Getty ImagesBryant stands next to his teammate Shaquille O'Neal during game 1 of the Western Conference Finals during the 2002 NBA Playoffs against the Sacramento Kings at the Arco Arena in Sacramento on May 18, 2002. The duo would be continue their dominance of the NBA, with the 2002 Championship being the last they'd win together. O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, while Bryant signed a new seven-year contract with the Lakers.Rocky Widner—NBAE/Getty ImagesBryant cries as he admits to
adultery in front of his wife Vanessa at a press conference in Los Angeles on July
18, 2003. The Laker guard's off-court troubles that season, which included an arrest for sexual assault, somewhat tarnished his growing reputation.Lucy Nicholson—ReutersBryant drives past Toronto Raptors' Jalen Rose and Chris Bosh in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles on Jan. 22, 2006, en route to scoring a career-high 81 points. The performance was not only the best-ever by a Laker, but also the second-highest score in a single game in the NBA.Matt A. Brown—APThree years later, Bryant set another individual one-game record when he scored 61 points against the New York Knicks at their Madison Square Garden arena on Feb. 2, 2009 — the most points ever scored in a game at the iconic Manhattan venue. Kathy Willens—APKobe Bryant raises the NBA championship trophy in front of a poster of himself on the Staples Center during a victory parade for the teams 16th NBA title in Los Angeles on June 21, 2010. His fifth and final title, following a hard-fought seven-game Finals against the Boston Celtics, was — in his words — the most satisfying of them all.Richard Vogel—APKobe Bryant during a game between the Portland Trailblazers and the Los Angeles Lakers at the Moda Center on Nov. 28, 2015 — his last game before announcing that he would retire at the end of the season. David Blair—AP
