Kobe Bryant is entering the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and also his 20th season in the NBA. Bryant hasn't officially said whether this will be his last season or not, but it seems as though he is leaning that way. Part owner and executive vice president of basketball operations for the Lakers Jim Buss reportedly said that he is unsure of whether Kobe will be back after this year, but if he wanted to keep playing they would welcome him back, according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.
Bryant has had each of his last two seasons end early due to injuries. Two seasons ago, Bryant tore his Achilles, and this past season he tore his rotator cuff and required surgery. It is unknown whether Bryant will want to put his body through that for too much longer, but a lot of that will likely depend on how this upcoming season goes. The Lakers were dreadful last season, but this season, they are expected to be better and if the young guys show enough promise, it is possible that Kobe may want to stick around for it.
There were reports that Bryant was potentially interested in finishing his career at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro but that he wanted to earn his spot on the team, so as of right now it is hard to say what Kobe's future holds. Buss said that the Lakers are going to approach this season as if it is Kobe's last season, but he also said that it's not his decision.
"I'm not going to sit there and say, 'This is it, Kobe, you're done,' because it's not my decision, it's his decision," said Buss.
Buss did infer that if Kobe were to come back after next year, his role would be probably be more minor but again said that it would be up to Kobe to decide if he's cool with that.
"He just has to know, at that age, and that many miles on you, what is your role? We'll explain the role, and if he still wants to do that and that's how he wants to go out, that's fine with me," said Buss.
Kobe has made it clear in the past that he doesn't want to continue to play in the NBA when he no longer feels like one of the best players, so this season will have a lot of influence on his future. If Kobe has a great 2015-16 campaign a return is certainly possible, but if he doesn't, or gets injured again, it will likely mark the end of the road for Kobe. The one certainty in this situation is that the Lakers have no intention of turning their backs on the superstar shooting guard, and he will always have a place with the organization.
