Kobe Bryant's retirement has been confirmed by the Los Angeles Lakers star himself.
NBC Sports reported that the 37-year-old NBA star has announced that this will be his final season. Apparently, Kobe Bryant has been frustrated and has not been able to play as he expected.
Kobe Bryant's retirement was made official last Sunday in The Player's Tribune. "You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream and I'll always love you for it," he wrote.
"But I can't love you obsessively for much longer. This season is all I have left to give. My heart can take the pounding, my mind can handle the grind but my body knows it's time to say goodbye."
In the article, the Los Angeles Lakers Shooting Guard wrote about how he fell in love with basketball as a six-year-old boy and how he accepted every challenge for the sport he loved the most.
"I'm ready to let you go," he added. "I want you to know now. So we both can savor every moment we have left together."
"And we both know, no matter what I do next. I'll always be that kid with the rolled up socks. Garbage can in the corner, [with] :05 seconds on the clock [and] ball in my hands."
However, Kobe Bryant's retirement may have been just in time. According to USA Today, his announcement last Sunday was "hardly a surprise."
The publication noted that Bryant has not been playing as well as the Los Angeles Lakers legend that will one day be included in the Hall of Fame. He has also announced that his two-decade-long stay in the sport may end unless there something miraculous would happen to his worsening game.
His shooting percentage of 31.5 was not only the lowest for him, but was the lowest in the league compared to players who had taken at least 150 attempts. His three-point percentage (19.5) was both career-low and league-low.