Kobe Bryant announces retirement

Simon Legg
and others
• 3 min read
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Bryant announced his forthcoming retirement via a poem entitled “Dear Basketball” on the Player’s Tribune website.

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.

And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have.

The writing was on the wall, after a slow start to the season. Following yesterday's loss to the Trail Blazers, Kobe all but admitted that his legs 'aren't what they used to be.'

In 12 games this season, Kobe is averaging 15.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

Bryant will finish his career as the third leading scorer in NBA history, a 17-time All-Star, and a five-time champion.

But injuries and age have forced him to miss 126 games over the last two-plus seasons, and his field goal percentage of 31.5 percent in on pace to be the worst the league has seen in more than 50 years.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued the following statement regarding Kobe Bryant’s announcement today:

“With 17 NBA All-Star selections, an NBA MVP, five NBA championships with the Lakers, two Olympic gold medals and a relentless work ethic, Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players in the history of our game.  Whether competing in the Finals or hoisting jump shots after midnight in an empty gym, Kobe has an unconditional love for the game.

“I join Kobe’s millions of fans around the world in congratulating him on an outstanding NBA career and thank him for so many thrilling memories.”

Author(s)
Simon Legg