Yesterday, the sports world was stunned as Kobe Bryant officially announced that he will be retiring at the end of this season. Later that night, Bryant arrived at the Staples Center for the first time since the announcement and it was a surreal feeling indeed. After falling to the Indiana Pacers 107-103, which saw the guard rack up only 13 points on 4-of-20 shooting, Kobe had a lengthy post game press conference where he elaborated on his decision.
Visibly emotional for the entire 25 minutes, Kobe shared that he made the decision this past summer and one of the first people he told was Michael Jordan, who told him to simply “just enjoy” the ride. Going further into detail, he stated that he had actually been preparing for this moment for the past few seasons, attempting to figure out what he will do with his life after basketball, and finding it rather difficult to find his next calling.
With that said, the veteran was steadfast in his decision to walk away from the game, saying that he is at peace with his decision and “If I had the burning desire to continue to play, I would.” Bryant touched a multitude of topics, from his early days to playing the role of a teacher in the present day. Showing how truly cultured he is, Kobe even answered some of the questions fluently in Spanish and Italian. Watch the entire press conference below.
https://youtu.be/TT0S3s4pgJQ
