Not even Kobe Bryant fans can argue how off his game he's been this season. So, there's been plenty of talk about if this is the year Bryant should call it quits.
Today, it's official: The 2015-16 season will be Bryant's last. The Black Mamba confirmed it in a personal letter published on The Players' Tribune.
You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I’ll always love you for it.
But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
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.And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have.
Regardless of what happens for the rest of this season, Bryant will go down as one of the best to ever do it.
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com
[via The Players' Tribune]