Kobe Bryant Is Retiring From the NBA, But Might Not Be Done Playing Basketball

While his last NBA game won't come until April, will his last "professional" basketball game come in August?

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Kobe Bryant announced Sunday that this season will be his last in the NBA. But the future Hall of Famer might not be done playing basketball after game No. 82 in April.

According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Bryant still has the opportunity to secure a spot on the 2016 the U.S. Olympic team.  

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo tells https://t.co/EXInXOMads that Kobe Bryant remains in contention for Team USA spot for Rio 2016

Whether Bryant is interested in officially calling it a basketball career in Rio de Janeiro in August or not remains to be seen. He did tell the AP in November he'd like to be a part of Team USA and that "It would mean the world to me to be around those guys." 

What role Bryant would have on a stacked Olympic roster isn't clear, but he did say he could absolutely contribute.

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Despite shooting a career low 30.5 percent from the field and only averaging 15.5 points per game at age 37, it appears USA Basketball is keeping the door open for the two-time gold medalist. 

[h/t BSO]

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