NBA Los Angeles Lakers

Could Kobe Bryant Be Pondering Early Retirement?

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By @AnthonyIrwinNBA

Kobe Bryant Looks Pensive

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Bill Plaschke (who will never be accused of looking at the bright side of things) of the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Kobe Bryant has considered early retirement. This flies in the face of financial logic and basically everything Bryant has displayed to this point of his NBA career, but when has he done anything based on our logic?

“I’d be lying if I said that it hasn’t crossed my mind,” he says in the Times article. “Right now I doubt it … but anything’s possible.”

Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers have struggled through one of the most frustrating seasons since, well, last year. When he’s played the way he seems to prefer to, the Lakers struggle. When he becomes more of a distributor, the Lakers still struggle – only, less.

More importantly than just this year, however, is the fact that the Lakers can’t really rebuild fully until his behemoth of a contract comes off their books. The Lakers will have more flexibility this offseason, and he could be joined by another top five prospect via the draft if the losses keep piling up enough to finish with a bottom five record. However, that hardly lives up to Bryant’s often otherworldly expectations.

Put yourself in Bryant’s shoes. He’s historically grown weary of lengthy rebuilds and often draws the lion share of criticism when the Lakers are bad. Would you be willing to play piñata for another two years as your body fails you with little to no chance of ever competing for a title before your career is over?

Now, there are other factors — 25 million of them, most specifically. Remember when we praised Steve Nash for his honesty in admitting he stuck around this year for $9 million? We can’t do that, then criticize Bryant for doing the same.

I honestly can’t see him doing it. But I, and all other Laker fans, might be blinded by fandom. We don’t want to see Bryant, whom we have witnessed mature from the brass 17-year-old the Lakers traded Vlade Divac for nearly two decades ago, admit defeat to the undefeated Father Time. His stubborn attitude earned him two more titles after everyone questioned whether he could win without Shaquille O’Neal.

How could that same attitude not prevail one last time? Please let it prevail one last time.

Given Bryant’s honesty in NBA old age, the quote itself isn’t all that surprising. Of course, dealing with the pain on a daily, nightly and likely hourly basis has gotten old. That same pain, combined with the recurrent agony of defeat? No thanks.

One thing rang true as I watched him play against LeBron James earlier this week: he still loves this game. When he gets to go out and compete against the greatest playing today, it still gets him going. Here’s hoping he accepts this, his greatest challenge, yet.

Anthony F. Irwin is an NBA, NFL, MLB and NCAA Football contributor for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. Send him an email at .

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