LOS ANGELES — NBA great Kobe Bryant is retiring.
In a post entitled “Dear Basketball” on the Player Tribune, Bryant said basketball “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,” he said. “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.”
The NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver released a statement:
From Bleacher Report: “Bryant, 37, is in the final season of a two-year extension he signed with the Lakers in 2013. He’s averaging 15.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He’s also shooting a career-worst 31.5 percent from the field and 19.5 percent from three-point range.
This is Bryant’s 20th season with the Lakers.”
