Kobe Bryant is Not Coming Out of Retirement: Black Mamba Believes Los Angeles Lakers Can Win Championship in the 2016-17 NBA Season Even Without Him [VIDEO]
Basketball icon Kobe Bryant is happy with his present standing and has affirmed his decision of ending his 20-year NBA career at the age of 37.
The Black Mamba has debunked speculations that he will come out of retirement. He also expressed his confidence that the Los Angeles Lakers can win the championship in the 2016-17 NBA season amid his absence.
Not Coming Back
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Per CBS Sports, speculations about Bryant staging a basketball comeback started to surface after the U.S. Men's National Basketball Team struggled in the Rio 2016 Olympics. Team USA has been winning games, but failed to end most of their matches with a big margin.
In an interview with TWC SportsNet, Bryant who was a member of the gold-medal winning national team in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics said that he is not itching to come back. He admitted that the transition has been difficult after retiring last April, but he has no desire of playing professionally again.
The retired shooting guard stated that Team USA will be fine. He added that the performance of the present team should not be compared to the past because basketball has already turned global, making the competition tougher for all teams combined.
The Lakers Can Win
Bryant who spent his entire NBA career with the Lakers, also expressed his optimism that his former team can win the 2016-17 NBA season even without him. He said that the young squad of the team, composed of D'Angelo Russell (point guard), Brandon Ingram (forward), Jordan Clarkson (point guard) and Julius Randle (power forward), possesses a lot of potential.
The two-time NBA Finals MVP and 18-time All-Star explained that the young members of the team have a good core. He added that it is just a matter of growing together and developing their games and strengths as a team.
Bryant also believed that Luke Walton, the new head coach of the Lakers, would make the young squad members play the right way. He opined that Walton could steer the lowly team to the right direction and bring more championships to the franchise.
Willing to Help
Bryant also said that he will always be around if the Lakers needs him. He shared that he plans to drop by the training facility of the team and is willing to work with the young players if they want him to.
According to ESPN, Bryant has won five NBA championships with the Lakers. He averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in his two-decade career in the league. His all-time high record was in 2006 when he averaged 35.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.
