In case you were under a rock all day Sunday the big news in the sports world was the fact that Kobe Bryant announced that this season would be his last. Kobe made his announcement in a heartfelt poem (one that was reminiscent of the way Michael Jordan also did it for his first of three retirements).
Because of that announcement, many, including myself, were curious to see what Kobe Bryant would have to say about the topic once his game last night versus the Pacers was completed.
Kobe, as usual, did not disappoint, giving even more insightful reasons why this season will be his last, including the fact that he basically just doesn’t want to do it anymore.
“You know, I have known for a while. I have always said if anything changes, then I will change my mind, but the problem became for me with what does that really mean? A decision like this, you can’t make that decision based on the circumstances. It has to be an internal decision and finally I just had to accept the fact that I don’t want to do this anymore, and I’m ok with that. Once I accepted that, then it became time to just let everybody know. It takes a load off my shoulders and everybody else’s. It is just the right thing to do.”
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Of course none other than Michael Jordan knew about Mamba’s decision before most anyone else.
"[Michael Jordan] was one of the first people I told over the summer. … [I told him], 'This is it.' [He told me], 'Just enjoy it'." Kobe
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) November 30, 2015
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No real surprise there considering how much Bryant has emulated MJ over the years from the way he plays the game to even the way he speaks.
H/T BSO