By now you should know: Kobe won’t say whether he’s going to retire after this season or not. All we can do is speculate as to which way the man is leaning at any given moment.
Yet, there are a few dead-giveaways that are starting to lead people to believe Mr. Bryant is definitely not returning next year.
First off, just a few days ago he confirmed that hes leaning towards retirement at the moment, stating:
““If you asked me today, this would be my last year. But you never know,” said Bryant, who is in the final year of his deal with the Lakers. “We’ll keep it open. Whatever happens, happens.”
If you’re a Kobe fan, that’s scary enough as it is. But now we have Howard Beck of Bleacher Report also cluing us in on the following:
No, Bryant will not say this is it. But he did hire a film crew to track him all season, filming every move and collecting sound bites in quiet moments. No documentary is planned, Bryant told me. But don’t be surprised if we see one if this truly is the end.
As of this post, the Lakers have won just one game out of their first seven. Kobe is in the last year of his contract, has paid a private camera crew following him around; and he recently has stated that he’d retire if the season would end today.
Brace yourselves Laker fans, and get your goodbyes in. Whatever you do, don’t let your little brother or sister get their hopes up believing that the Black Mamba is coming back next year… Let that be a pleasant surprise for everyone if he does.