NBA Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant Should Retire

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By @pjacobosports

Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers

Kirby Lee- USA TODAY Sports

Are the Los Angeles Lakers better without Kobe Bryant? Absolutely not! Anyone who thinks otherwise is simply out of their mind. Bryant is arguably one of the greatest ten players in NBA history.

Bryant is coming off two major injuries and he is 36 years old. He’s entering his 19th season as a pro. It seems his time is setting as a basketball player. Bryant took three games off this past week due to general soreness. As a result, the Lakers were 1-2 without the Black Mamba.

Bryant has over 18 years of mileage on his legs. Countless brilliant performances, numerous battles and various injuries he’s played through. His body is not what it used to be. Bryant is coming to grips with this harsh reality. He told reporters before the Chicago Bulls game about sitting out.

“Old age. My knees are sore at this stage of the season,” he said. “My Achilles are sore –- both of them. My metatarsals are tight, back is tight. I just need to kind of hit the re-set button.”

It’s only been 30 games and he’s feeling the effects of old age. Granted he missed nearly two full years of competitive ball, but he still isn’t going to get any younger in the remaining 52 games. Throughout his career, Bryant has been known as the ultimate competitor. He’ll try to play through it as usual. My question is should Bryant decide to hang up his sneakers and retire next year?

What’s left for him to prove? The Lakers rewarded Bryant with a $48M extension over the summer. Kobe is scoring 24.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists this season, but he is shooting a career-low 37 percent. He has not shot this bad since his rookie season.

There is no elevation in his jump shot. He’s playing over 35 minutes a game at his advanced age. By the fourth quarter, he’s completely exhausted. He has to work harder just to create his own shot.  If he continues to play heavy minutes, he’ll leave himself vulnerable to another injury.

The pains of the rigorous NBA season are not going to go away. His body will not respond. The soreness will continue. He’s achieved numerous awards in his storied career. It looks like the farewell tour is on.

Bryant has five NBA titles to his name, two finals MVP’s, surprisingly only one league MVP, two gold medals, and a 16x All-Star (4x All-Star MVP).

He surpassed his idol, Michael Jordan, for third all-time on the NBA scoring list this season. He’s the Lakers’ all-time scorer in franchise history. He’s left the NBA community with many memorable performances. Who can forget the 81 points he scored against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 or when he outscored the Dallas Mavericks 62-61 in three quarters. Or even when he lit up Madison Square Garden for 61 points in 2009. The list goes on.

Those days are coming to an end for Bryant. He will leave the game he loves with so many joyful memories. The Lakers are 9-21 this season and the playoffs are nowhere in sight. Bryant has said he will not request a trade from the only franchise he’s ever known. He will stick around and trust management to fix the team.

As a fan of Kobe, I don’t want to see him go out this way. Love him or hate him, there is no question that he will be in the Hall of Fame someday. But unless he finds the fountain of youth somewhere, I think retirement is his only option. If he decides to play-out his contract, his greatest achievement will be to help the Lakers rise from the depths of mediocrity.

Pablo Jacobo is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @getempsports, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on Google.

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