Kobe Bryant announced his intention to retire from the NBA after this season, but there still is a sense that his playing career might not be over when the Los Angeles Lakers season ends. People believe that Bryant will not play another NBA game after this season, but the 2016 Olympics is possible, and there have been rumors for some time that he would play a season overseas once he is done with the NBA. On Monday, he shot those rumors down, according to Bill Oram of The Orange County Register.
Bryant is an international superstar and may be one of the most popular players the NBA has ever had worldwide, so playing a season overseas would obviously bring a lot of fanfare, and some people were convinced that was his plan. The season overseas is much shorter than the NBA season, but still Bryant says there is basically no chance.
"I would have loved to play overseas for a season, but it's not going to happen. My body won't let me," said Bryant.
Bryant has dealt with myriad injuries over the past few seasons which have not allowed him to play that much, but he is relatively healthy this season. He has played in 23 of a possible 27 games for the 4-23 Lakers who are at the bottom of the Western Conference. Much of the talk surrounding Bryant lately has been whether or not he deserves to be in the All-Star game or if he deserves a spot on the Olympic team.
Bryant would love the honor of being able to participate in both events, but he is also at peace with the fact that he might not be. His numbers aren't pretty this season, as he is shooting just 34 percent from the field and 25 percent from three, but he still might get voted into the All-Star game by the fans. Jerry Colangelo of Team USA has also said it will consider Bryant for a spot on the Olympic team, which means his last NBA game might not necessarily be his last competitive basketball game.
"It's not something that I'm absolutely pressing for, but being a part of the Olympics is such a beautiful experience. It would be a beautiful thing to finish my career on an international stage," said Kobe.
