Kobe Bryant is 36 and has suffered a number of significant injuries over the past few years, the most recent of which is a torn rotator cuff that will sideline him for the remainder of the 2014-2015 season. He still isn’t planning to call it a career.
On Thursday, Bryant said he intends to be ready to return to action by September to at least play out the final year of his deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe says it doesn’t bother him that many members of the media have been saying he should retire.
“I don’t really listen much to what you people have to say, to be honest with you,” he said.
Kobe’s latest season-ending surgery (third consecutive year) has a nine-month recovery period. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said he expects Kobe to return next season and that he is hoping the team around him will be vastly improved.
“I don’t think he’s retiring,” Kupchak said, per Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com. “He said he’s looking forward to training camp. That’s what we expect.
“When you’re winning games, it’s a lot easier to get ready to play and play through aches and pains. To me, a big part of Kobe’s contribution next year is if we can improve this team during the offseason.”
At some point, Kobe will have to accept that all of these injuries aren’t simply bad luck. His body is breaking down, which makes perfect sense after 18 seasons playing professional basketball. Given what Kobe said earlier this month, we wouldn’t be shocked if he changed his mind about playing next year.
