Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak Says Kobe Bryant Will Retire After Next Season

Is Kobe Bryant about to play his final season?

Image via USA TODAY Sports/Derick E. Hingle

Father Time is undefeated and his next victim might be Kobe Bryant. The aging star has been torn down by injuries the past few seasons, only playing in 41 games over the last two years. Kobe has still been an effective scorer on the court (22.3 points per game in 35 games this season) even if his efficiency (37 percent shooting) wasn't up to par with his 45 percent career average.

But the fact remains that Bryant will turn 37 in August and has over 50,000 minutes on his body (regular season and playoffs). Plus, all that rehab from serious injuries can wreck havoc on the body of someone who is already worn down. And the Lakers appear to be moving forward with a youth movement, anchored by young potential like Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

All of these factors beg us to ask: When will Kobe hang it up?

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak gave us some insight on that question yesterday:


"I think first and foremost, he's on the last year of a deal," Kupchak told SiriusXM NBA Radio. "There have been no discussions about anything going forward. I don't think there will be."


"A year from now, if there's something different to discuss, then it will be discussed then," Kupchak said of Bryant potentially playing beyond next season. "I talk to him from time to time ... and he is recovering. He's running. He's getting movement and strength in the shoulder. We expect a full recovery, but yeah, he's much closer to the end than to the beginning."

Even though Kupchak came out on Thursday and said Kobe's retirement will happen after next season, he's been saying this for quite awhile now. Check out Kupchak's quote from a David Aldridge column from December 2014:


"All indications are, to me, from him, that this (two-year contract) is going to be it," Kupchak said. "If somebody's thinking of buying a ticket three years from now to see Kobe play, I would not do that. Don't wait. Do it this year."

So even though this news about Bryant's retirement isn't exactly new, it appears that Kupchak is going to really hammer home the point. The Black Mamba is still scheduled to make a league-high $25 million next season, which isn't a bad way to leave the game.

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[via ESPN]

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