Los Angeles Lakers v Golden State Warriors (Photo : Getty Images)
Age has caught up on Lakers star Kobe Bryant. At 37, the basketballer announced on Sunday he is retiring from the sport through an article titled "Dear Basketball." Posted on the Players' Tribune website.
Bryant writes, "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," quotes ESPN. He ends 20 years of professional basketball with a legacy of helping the Lakers win five championships.
The announcement would not surprise his fans because Bryant had hinted the past few weeks of his imminent retirement. Besides the five championships, he has two Olympic gold medals, 17 All-Star selections, the second-best average points in NBA history at 81 and over 32,000 points spread over two decades.
Ahead of Bryant's retirement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver paid tribute to him by calling the basketballer "one of the greatest players in the history of our game." He adds, "I join Kobe's millions of fans around the world in congratulating him on an outstanding NBA career and thank him for so many thrilling memories."
The effect of ageing is felt as Bryant logged a career-low 31.5 percent and injuries that he played only 41 of a possible 164 games in the last two seasons. Despite his poor play, Lakers coach Byron Scott said on Friday that Bryant would still be fielded.
As he bows out of basketball, he would retire as the highest-paid NBA player for the current season with $25 million payout in 2015-16, the last year of his two-year contract.
His fans, expectedly are sad to see him hang up the jersey.
E.D.G. tweets that the announcement almost brought tears to his eyes. Stephen Smith says he was not surprised by the announcement. ESPN comments that "It's strange to see Kobe succumb to the inevitable."
Marcus Stroman says it's a sad day because he wants to watch Bryant play "for the rest of my lifetime." The announcement caused the crash of the Players Tribune website.
