The L.A. Lakers are off to an unimpressive 2-14 record. Over the weekend Kobe Bryant announced that this would be his last season. Is it time for him to leave the game of basketball?
Kobe Bryant was drafted out of high school. He was 13th overall in the 1996 NBA draft taken by the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets traded his rights to the L.A. Lakers for center Vlade Divac. His first season in the NBA he played in 71 games. In those games he averaged 7.6 points and 1.3 assists per game. He wouldn’t be the Lakers’ starting small forward until 98-99 when he averaged 19.9 points and 3.8 assists per game. The best year for him statistically came in the 2005-06 season. Bryant averaged a career a high 35.4 points per game.
This season has been a struggle. The team is 2-14, which is last in the Western Conference. Only the Philadelphia 76ers have a worse record at 0-18. According to ESPN.com, Bryant said, “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.”
This is the right time for him to leave the game. Sure his team isn’t off to a great start but he has nothing left to prove in the game of basketball. Bryant won five NBA titles and was the MVP of two of them. In 2008 he was voted regular season MVP. Bryant played in 17 NBA All-Star Games and took home the MVP in four. In his career to this point he has scored 32,683 points which ranks 3rd all-time, only Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have scored more.
Kobe Bryant will leave this game as one of the best players in NBA history. Once this season is over, the only achievement remaining is to be voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The earliest that will occur is 2021. There is no doubt that he should be a first ballot Hall Of Famer.
What do you think about Kobe Bryant announcing his retirement
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