Kobe Bryant announced yesterday that he will retire after this season.
As reported by ESPN, Kobe finally addressed the countless retirement rumors with a heartbreaking poem titled "Dear Basketball" posted at The Player's Tribune.
An excerpt from the poem said, "Gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream/And I'll always love you for it."
But also said, "But I can't love you obsessively for much longer. This season is all I have left to give. My heart can take the pounding. 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."
Kobe addressed the media after a close game loss against the Indiana Pacers, where he even nailed a clutch three pointer that almost tied the game. However, the Pacers got away with a win, resulting with a final score of 107-103.
During Sunday's press conference, the 5-time NBA champion said that he knows that he will be retiring for a while now, but said that a decision like retirement should be done based on outside circumstances or has to be an internal decision.
He announced, "Finally I've decided to accept that I can't actually do this anymore, and I'm OK with that." while adding that the decision took a load off his shoulders - just like everybody else's.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott said that when his player informed him of his decision Saturday night, he was shocked.
Scott said. "[I'm] just sad more than anything. Just sad more than anything. Somebody who I truly care about, have a lot of respect for. I think it's always hard when greatness like Kobe decides to hang it up."
As reported by Bleacher Report, Kobe's announcement shocked the NBA, leading players around the league voice out their opinion. One player was Kevin Durant, who criticized the media regarding how they treated the aging Lakers player.
Durant said, "You guys treated one of our legends like s—t and I didn't really like it." But first without saying that he idolized Kobe Bryant and wanted to be like him, while also saying that "He was our Michael Jordan."
Since it's apparent that this is his last season, Kobe Bryant retiring made game ticket prices to soar with ridiculous amounts.
According to USA Today, the cheapest seat one can afford to watch the legend play live is $571, with the most expensive a whopping $21,000 — enough to buy a brand new car.
However, we're sure that for fans of Kobe, watching the legend live is priceless.
If you want to read his retirement poem, please click here.
