“Retirement is the ugliest word in the language.”
-Ernest Hemingway
The easiest thing to do is to tell someone else what is best for them. If I had a buck for every person that tried to do that with me in my lifetime, I could wipe out the federal deficit and still have enough left for new socks and ice cream. Despite that, I am going to say it again. It’s time for the great Kobe Bryant to hang up his signature sneakers.
Harsh you may say? Not really. The all-time leading scorer in Los Angeles Lakers history will be 37 next week and while that is young in life, it’s ancient by NBA standards. For the record, I’m calling for him to ride off into the sunset for selfish reasons. I do not want to see him struggle like both Moses and Karl Malone did late in their fabulous careers. Those two come to mind quickly, but there have been countless others in the NBA, as well as the NFL and MLB.
I want to remember the young stud who crushed the hearts of Indiana Pacers fans when he broke out into stardom against game four of the 2000 NBA Finals, as he took over the game for the last two minutes with Shaquille O’Neal fouling out, leaving Pacers fans to think they had it in the bag. I still remember that nasty reverse bucket he threw down along the baseline late in the game to seal the deal, and put him in the driver’s seat to his first championship ring days later. It was part Oscar Robertson and part Julius Erving, and it was just the start of many epic moments he would have. From scoring titles to league MVP, to another four NBA championships, the guy who I think is as good of a scorer as anyone I have seen in my lifetime (Remember I am 56 years young), has simply done it all and has nothing left to prove.
A blown Achilles and a torn rotator cuff in less than two years have reduced Bryant to a shell of his former self physically, and I agonize as I think of a player who has been on the NBA All Defensive Team numerous times getting abused by a younger player looking to make his name by showing up Bryant in a meaningless regular season game. Notice I said regular season game, as the playoffs certainly are not in the picture for the Lakers anytime soon. They are clearly in rebuilding mode and Bryant’s presence, along with his monstrous salary, are squarely in the way as they look to start the process of life without him. As someone who never played the game at a high level, I appreciate Bryant as much as anyone. And while nobody can certainly blame him for hanging around for the extra cash, I just do not want to see him falter. And he will, more often than most casual NBA fans can even fathom.
No one is more candid about professional basketball than Charles Barkley and when asked about Bryant recently on Sirius XM NBA Radio, he didn’t mince any words about Bryant. “Kobe should retire. I hated to see how Michael Jordan played with the Washington Wizards, and even Patrick Ewing with the Seattle Supersonics,” stated Barkley.
To make matters even more compelling, Barkley added a comment about his own retirement by saying, “I probably played two years too long myself.” When a player as gifted as Barkley recognizes it, there really is no need for a debate. Bryant’s swansong won’t be as pretty as recovery from the aforementioned injuries has been lengthy and is not complete. Even with the best medical treatment in the world available to him, Kobe cannot turn the clock back enough to defeat Father Time. As the darling of the Buss Family during their ownership of the Lakers, he has always had the leverage to dictate what he did and how. Those days are long gone and while he won’t admit it, he is no longer even remotely capable of playing starter’s minutes.
Despite all this, Bryant claims he’s on schedule with his rehab and is looking for a “rebirth.” I just hope he will reconsider when training camp opens and he realizes it’s over. Maybe then the young man who excited me all those years will surround himself at the podium with his family and call it a career. More than likely the bright lights and the adulation that comes from simply being who he is will overrule common sense, and as a result, what promises to be a tough year will only get worse.
I’m sure I’ll keep track of his every move and I will try to be kinder about what I say moving forward. As like millions of people around the globe, I will miss him when he calls it a day. I just want that day to come before the start of the 2015-2016 NBA season. Too bad the guy I have marveled at for years doesn’t feel the same way.
Danny Bridges, who could fill a cruise ship with all the pro athletes he has seen hang on too long, can be reached at (317) 370-8447 or at Bridgeshd@aol.com.
