Similar Stories to Kobe Bryant Says He’ll Retire After This Season on Bing News

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant has decided to retire after this season, ending his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. The third-leading scorer in NBA history wrote a poem entitled “Dear Basketball” to announce his decision. Bryant went from high school in suburban Philadelphia to the Lakers in 1996, and he earned five championship rings and 17 All-Star selections in two decades with the franchise — the longest tenure with one team in NBA history. Bryant also won two Olympic gold medals. Bryant’s last three seasons have ended early because of injuries, and he played in only 41 games over the previous two seasons. [...] from a standpoint of seeing one of this era’s greatest players go out in a rebuilding process, it’s tough. When the Lakers hosted the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, fans arriving at Staples Center received a letter from Bryant in a black envelope embossed with gold. In recent months, Bryant repeatedly said he didn’t know whether he would play another season, clearly hoping for a rebound in his health and the Lakers’ play. Whether competing in the Finals or hoisting jump shots after midnight in an empty gym, Kobe has an unconditional love for the game. Even during his late-career struggles with the floundering Lakers, Bryant’s fans have remained devoted to the 6-foot-6 guard who won titles alongside Shaquille O’Neal in 2000, 2001 and 2002 before teaming with Pau Gasol for two more in 2009 and 2010. Only 13 players in league history played on more championship teams than Bryant. [...] even with the Lakers likely to miss the playoffs for the third straight season — a first in franchise history — Bryant intends to keep going. “He kind of shocked me when he told me,” said Lakers head coach Byron Scott, Bryant’s teammate for the 1996-97 season. Bryant’s departure will allow the Lakers to split between the past and the future, with young prospects Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson taking on leading roles rather than deferring to their teammate. Bryant repeatedly declared that he didn’t want a farewell tour in the style of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Derek Jeter, his friend and the Players’ Tribune founder.

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Similar Stories to Kobe Bryant Says He’ll Retire After This Season on Bing News

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