--- description: The Lakers guard said he doesn't feel as obsessed with the game as he was in the past title: Kobe Bryant Opens Up About His Decision to Retire image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3ec9ad0258572cbe/698873633c1639858745af86/gettyimages-490461848.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Sports](/section/sports/) ## Sports Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Basketball](/tag/basketball/) ## Basketball Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Kobe Bryant Opens Up About His Decision to Retire by [Naja Rayne / People](/author/people/) ## Naja Rayne / People Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 2, 2015 8:06 AM CUT  Kobe Byrant of the Los Angeles Lakers addresses the media during the Los Angeles Lakers Media Dayat Toyota Sports Center on Sept.28, 2015 in El Segundo, California. Kobe Byrant of the Los Angeles Lakers addresses the media during the Los Angeles Lakers Media Dayat Toyota Sports Center on Sept.28, 2015 in El Segundo, California.Leon Bennett—Getty Images by [Naja Rayne / People](/author/people/) ## Naja Rayne / People Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 2, 2015 8:06 AM CUT Kobe Bryant’s retirement announcement may have come as a shock to many of his fans, but the NBA star knew the day wasn’t far off. Bryant, 37, has opened up to ABC’s Robin Roberts in an exclusive interview about his [decision to retire](http://www.people.com/article/kobe-bryant-retirement-this-season-last-letter-dear-basketball "undefined") and admitted that he saw his retirement in the near future. “I try to have at least 15 minutes of still time and just kind of sit in my thoughts in the morning and just kind of meditate,” he said. “And normally what happens with me is my mind would always drift to the game. Always.” However, the Lakers guard said recently his mind has gone elsewhere and he doesn’t feel as obsessed with the game as he was in the past, which brought him to the conclusion that it was time to move on. “I found myself sitting there. My mind wouldn’t drift towards the game all the time anymore,” the father of two said. “And that’s when I started realizing. ‘You know what? It’s getting close. It’s getting close.’ Because now, I’m not obsessively thinking about the game anymore. It’s not wired into my subconscious the way it used to be.” Bryant announced his retirement on Sunday in an open letter penned to basketball on [The Players Tribune](http://www.theplayerstribune.com/dear-basketball/ "undefined"), letting fans know, that this season would be his last in the NBA. “This season is all I have left to give,” he wrote. “My heart can take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind. But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.” Bryant’s full interview will air on Wednesday on [_Good Morning America_](http://www.people.com/people/news/category/0,,MediaProductsTax:TVGoodMorningAmerica,00.html "undefined")at 7 a.m. EST. [_This article originally appeared on People.com_](http://www.people.com/article/kobe-bryant-opens-up-about-decision-to-retire-good-morning-america "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4132275/kobe-bryant-retire-2/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4132275/kobe-bryant-retire-2/"},"headline":"Kobe Bryant Opens Up About His Decision to Retire","datePublished":"2015-12-02T08:06:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T13:01:53.581Z","description":"The Lakers guard said he doesn't feel as obsessed with the game as he was in the past","url":"https://time.com/4132275/kobe-bryant-retire-2/","keywords":["Basketball"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3ec9ad0258572cbe/698873633c1639858745af86/gettyimages-490461848.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Naja Rayne / People"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3ec9ad0258572cbe/698873633c1639858745af86/gettyimages-490461848.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Los Angeles Lakers Media Day","caption":"Los Angeles Lakers Media Day","creditText":"Leon Bennett—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/basketball/","name":"Basketball"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4132275/kobe-bryant-retire-2/","name":"Kobe Bryant Opens Up About His Decision to Retire"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Know Right Now: Kobe Bryant Announces Retirement","description":"He's played for the Los Angeles Lakers for two decades","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/BafIcSKs/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-11-30T09:36:16.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/BafIcSKs.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4132275/kobe-bryant-retire-2/","duration":"PT1M","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4132275/kobe-bryant-retire-2/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```