Kobe Bryant (Photo : Getty Images)
Can Kobe Bryant join his former LA Lakers teammate Shaquille O'Neal as an analyst at the "NBA on TNT" crew upon his retirement from basketball?
Rumors about Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant has been circulating around the league as he approaches the last term of his two-year $48.5 million contract with the club.
Bryant has yet to indicate his future plans once his basketball career ends, but basketball analyst Kenny Smith of TNT crew has more interesting plans for the "Black Mamba."
"We got a seat for you Kobe on TNT... and it'll be ready for you in April 'cause y'all won't make the playoffs," Smith told TMZ Sports.
It would certainly be interesting to see Bryant "sitting next to Shaq" with Smith and the rest of the NBA on TNT crew talking about NBA basketball, although it is hard to imagine the 19-year NBA veteran laughing it out with Charles Barkley, who has been known as a harsh critic to Bryant and the Lakers.
Moreover, Smith is thrilled by the chance of a lifetime to hear first hand from Bryant and O'Neal how both players hated and loved each other during their stint in Los Angeles, where they collected three NBA championship rings together.
In fact, there could be an opportunity for Bryant to be one of TNT's basketball analysts as he has already brushed off any ideas of coaching, according to NBC Sports.
Bryant has struggled for the Lakers in his first five games of the 2015-2016 NBA season, averaging 16.2 points on 32.1 percent shooting from the field.
Bryant has been called out by basketball pundits and the media to retire from the NBA after several years of hoops greatness. His pending retirement sparked rumors of him playing for another team, such as the New York Knicks, or overseas in China, but the five-time NBA champ reiterated he will be a "Laker for life."
