Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is one of the greatest players in National Basketball Association history and one of the few who can even be compared to Michael Jordan, considered by many to be the greatest of all time. But like Mike in a Washington Wizards uniform, the 37-year-old Kobe we have seen thus far in the 2015-2016 season is an outdated model, nothing like Kobe from even three seasons ago. This begs the question: did Kobe wait too long to retire?
The Black Mamba is shooting 32% from the field in the first six games of the season. It would be hard to find a six-game stretch in the Hall of Fame career of Bryant where he shot that poorly over a six-game stretch. Kobe is averaging only 16.5 points per game, which, over a complete season, would be his lowest scoring average since the 1997-1998 season, and he is shooting an unthinkable 21% from three-point range. To make matters worse, the team is 1-5 with their only win coming against the winless Nets in Brooklyn Friday.
Whether it is primarily age or recovering from last season’s injury, Kobe knows the end is near. Bryant responded to a question recently about what factors will decide if he returns for a 21st NBA season next year. He said, “If I want to. Just desire. If I want to put my body through it and continue to play.” Hopefully, Kobe doesn’t want to, and with his recent expression of desires to play on the 2016 USA basketball team, that would be a fitting end to the legendary career of Bryant, winning Olympic gold for the third time. But seeing the legend struggle on the court on a losing team shows he should have retired already.
