One the NBA’s greatest players and most prolific scorers says the 2015-16 season will be his last.
Legendary Lakers guard Kobe Bryant announced Sunday in an open letter to the game of basketball on The Players’ Tribune that he has ‘nothing left to give’ and that ‘he’s ready to let you (basketball) go’.
“This season is all I have left to give,” Bryant wrote in a letter to the game of basketball on The Players’ Tribune Sunday.
“My heart can take the pounding,” Bryant writes in the letter, entitled Dear Basketball. “My mind can handle the grind. But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye. And that’s OK. I’m ready to let you go.” (via theScore)
Battling injuries over the past few seasons, the 37-year old has logged over 55,000 minutes in the NBA while playing on only 53 games over the last three years. Because of this, Bryant’s announcement doesn’t come to much surprise as the Black Mamba has hinted throughout the year that this season would probably be his last.
Currently Bryant sits third on the NBA all-time points list with at 32,670 and 14th on the all-time steals list with 1,894.
Aside from that though Bryant’s achievements in the NBA are pretty endless.
He’s a five time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, the League’s most valuable player in 2008, a 17 time All-Star and an 11 time NBA All-First Team among many other recognitions.