Kobe Bryant will be playing in the first year of his fresh two-year deal when the Los Angeles Lakers open their season against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday at Staples Center.
Bryant signed a two-year contract extension worth $48.5 million in November last year, which is viewed by many as the final deal of the 36-year-old with the Lakers.
However, Lakers president Jeannie Buss strongly believes that Bryant is not done yet, saying that she wants Bryant to sign a new deal with the team when his contract runs out in 2016.
Bryant, who will be entering his 19th season in the league, will be 38 years old when his current deal expires, but Buss is confident that the 16-time All-Star will remain as one of the elite players in the league.
"I'm a person who watched Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) play until he was 42. Jimmy Connors played on my World Team Tennis team, the LA Strings that summer that he went into the US Open at age 39 and made the semis at 39 years old. So I've seen it," Buss said via USA Today. "I know you can't beat Father Time, but there are those athletes who can transcend the average age of retirement. And if anyone can do that, my money is on the Black Mamba."
Buss added that she is convinced that Bryant is worthy of the salary that he is getting from the Lakers despite being slowed down by injuries over the past several years.
Bryant averaged 13.8 points to go along with 6.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game last season, but went down with a knee injury just in his sixth game after recovering from surgery that repaired a torn Achilles tendon.
Like Buss, first-year Lakers coach Byron Scott also voiced support to Bryant, saying that the 18-year veteran has been performing impressive in training camp and preseason games where he averaged 19 points and four assists in six games.
"I think the rust, every day, came off a little bit more," Scott said of Bryant via ESPN Los Angeles. "The last preseason game that he played, he looked really good, as far as his fadeaway, his elevation, his stamina."
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