Kobe is never retiring.
He might not play in the NBA, but he will be playing somewhere until he is probably 90 and he still might be able to drop double figures.
I really wonder what will happen next year if he wants to continue to play, but the Lakers refuse to give him big money, what will he do?
While you ponder that here is what Bean had to say in his Yahoo Q & A.
Q: When you see the mammoth money that could be available to you as a free agent next summer, does that make it more attractive to continue playing?
Kobe: “Zero. Zero. I’ve never played for the money. It’s never moved me. Money can come and go. I have a perspective about finances. The family is fine. What is more money going to bring other than more money? I have my family, I have my health and we’re comfortable financially and that is a massive blessing.
“I don’t want to undervalue the importance of generating any type of whatever. I don’t want to make it sound like I’m underappreciative of that or not thankful for that. But at the same, what is really important? What is the important thing? I never played for money. When I laced my sneakers up when I was a kid in Italy I wasn’t thinking about money. I had no idea how much Magic [Johnson] or [Larry] Bird got paid. I played it because I loved it.”
Q: Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has hinted that next season can be your last. Could it be?
Kobe: “We haven’t set anything in stone and I’ve talked about it before. But could this be the last [season]? Absolutely. It’s tough to decide. It’s really tough to make those types of decisions. Players I have spoken to say, ‘Kobe you will know.’
“I’m making this very simple. Either I like playing the game and going through this process or I don’t. I try to strip it down to the simplest form. Either I like playing some more or I don’t. But I think that decision needs to be made after the season. It’s hard to make a decision like that before the season.”
Q: Would you want a farewell tour?
Kobe: “It’s hard to do that type of stuff because I don’t know if I’m going to retire or not. It’s not a swan song when it all has not been written.”
All we know is that Kobe is on the last chapter of his legendary ride, wonder how it will all end?