By now, of course you have heard that Kobe Bryant will retire at the end of this NBA season. While you think that would mean the Lakers’ April 13th game against the Utah Jazz would be his last game ever, that might not necessarily be the case.
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo told ESPN’s Marc Stein that Bryant could still compete in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio:
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo tells https://t.co/EXInXOMads that Kobe Bryant remains in contention for Team USA spot for Rio 2016
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) November 30, 2015
It doesn’t sound like it is something Kobe, who won gold with the US in both 2008 and 2012, is sold on, though.
“I’d be honored if that was there, it would be fantastic to be around that group and spend kind of the last journey with them,” Bryant said. “That being said, it’s not something that I’m obsessing over.”
Over the course of his career, Bryant has averaged 25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. This season, Bryant is averaging 15.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. You can tell just by watching, that Bryant is nowhere near the same beast that he once was, but that’s hard for anybody to even come close to.
Kobe is highly unlikely to make the roster if they are basing it off of his talent, just based on the poor performances that he was put on this season. Bryant sounds like he is much more worried about this NBA season, and being able to survive a grueling 82-game season.
