Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Kobe Bryant Will Retire After This Season
Kobe Bryant in 1999. (Photo via Getty Images)
Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant officially announced on Sunday that he will retire after the 2015-2016 season.Bryant, who played the entirety of his 20-year-career with the Lakers, and led the team to five NBA Championships, posted a poetic statement titled "Dear Basketball," a love letter declaring his retirement, over at The Players Tribune, which you can read in its entirety here. Good luck accessing the website now; massive traffic following the announcement crashed the site earlier Sunday evening.
The letter is certainly one of the more unconventional ways a retirement announcement has been made, and it's super dramatic (fittingly, just like Kobe). It opens:
Dear Basketball, From the moment
I started rolling my dad's tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:
I fell in love with you.
As a six-year-old boy Deeply in love with you I never saw the end of the tunnel. I only saw myself Running out of one.
Anyway, if you've been following the NBA this season, the decision doesn't come as a surprise, as ESPN reports; Bryant has not-so-subtly hinted that a postseason retirement was likely.
Love him or hate him, it's pretty much undisputed that Bryant is/ was one of the greatest players of all time, right up there (or beyond) Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Just look at his career stats. They're ridiculous.
Want to see Kobe being Kobe? Let's go.
Sponsored message
I love a good dunk montage. Here's a collection of dunks devoted exclusively to when Kobe had an Afro:
Lest we forget Kobe's rap career:
Here's Matt Barnes trying, and failing, to trick an unflinching Kobe:
Sponsored message
Let's close it out with this photo of Kobe and a couple of fans.
SI has roughly 10,000 photos of Kobe Bryant in action but none as good as this shot of him with Kenan & Kel. pic.twitter.com/rnWAORcjfz
— SI Vault (@si_vault) November 30, 2015
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
