Next year might be the end of one helluva career
We all knew this day was coming, but it’s still hard to believe. According to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, Kobe Bryant will hang it up after next season, which is expected to be an extremely pivotal one for the Los Angeles Lakers.
In an interview with Sirius XM NBA Radio, Kupchak, who absolutely would have knowledge of the situation that others don’t, had this to say about Kobe’s future in Los Angeles.
“He has indicated to me that this is it,” began a not-so-cryptic Kupchak. The Lakers haven’t been good in quite some time, and despite rumors that everyone from Rajon Rondo to Kevin Love could be considering a “Big 3” type move to Los Angeles to win championships of their own and reach Kobe the plateau he’s so desperately yearned for since 2011: a 6th championship, the same amount as Michael Jordan.
This would fall right in line with Kobe’s contract, which is entering its last year, in which Bryant will be paid $25 million. Kupchak also illustrated this point. “I think it is clear. He’s on the last year of his deal. There have been no discussions [about playing beyond next season]. He hasn’t indicated that he wants to continue to play.”
Should this be true, the Lakers will be in a mode they’ve very unfamiliar with: rebuilding mode. Since Kobe Bryant’s first year in the league 2 decades ago, the Lakers have yet to start from scratch. Still, only one man knows exactly what’s going to happen, and that’s Kobe.
