With Bryant’s plans to retire now out in the open, Kupchak hopes his game will start to come around.
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Struggling in his 20th season in the NBA, Bryant announced on Sunday night that year No. 20 would be his final season.
Over his career, Bryant has averaged 25.4 points per game, and was named by ESPN the second-greatest shooting guard of all-time, behind only Michael Jordan.
This video includes Getty Images.
Bryant is in his 20th season, all with the Lakers since a draft-day trade in 1996 that sent Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets in return for a 17-year old kid taken with the 13th overall pick.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, “I join Kobe’s millions of fans around the world in congratulating him on an outstanding NBA career and thank him for so many thrilling memories”.
In the letter, titled “Dear Basketball”, Bryant ends months of speculation by writing that he has nothing left to give. “I thought he probably had at least another year, but this year isn’t over”.
“It’s tough to see one of the absolute greatest competitors go through this”, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade told The Associated Press on Sunday, prior to Bryant making his announcement. That run of recent consecutive injuries limited him to only 41 out of a possible 164 games through the previous two seasons. After tonight 66 games remain in the regular season and most likely there will be tributes in every city on what will be Kobe Bryant’s farewell tour.
“They’re just not in position right now to do that”. “He’s the best player in my era”. I don’t know what he’s thinking as far as playing well or getting back somewhere near to the level that he’s accustomed to getting.
Bryant hasn’t wanted opposing teams to make any special fuss about what just about everyone suspected was his final lap around the league.
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“He’ was simply one of the best pure scorers the game has ever known”, Mavericks’ president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said.
