Kobe on leaving Los Angeles: 'I'm a Laker for life,' no matter what
Before the season started, there was much speculation about how this year would play out for Kobe Bryant. Would he manage to regain his pre-injury form? And if so, would he potentially look to play elsewhere next season if he and the Lakers couldn't strike a deal?
With Bryant's struggles so far, all of that talk is starting to look extraordinarily premature. At this rate, the most likely outcome for the future Hall of Famer is seemingly retirement. But even if Bryant chooses to come back next season, it doesn't sound like he'll consider any options other than the Lakers. Bryant told reporters after the Lakers' first win of 2015-16 on Friday night that he's a "Laker for life":
"I've said it so many times. I'm here, I'm a Laker for life," Bryant said Friday night after his team's 104-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. "I'm not playing anywhere else, no matter what. It's just not going to happen. I bleed purple and gold, and that's just how it's going to be."
As for Phil Jackson's quote back in September that he believed Bryant might continue playing in the NBA -- "I don't think it's his last year," Jackson said. "It sounds like it may be his last year as a Laker," -- Bryant told reporters that was just another instance of the Zen Master being the Zen Master:
Said Bryant on Friday: "That's Phil baiting you [members of the media] like he always does. He's a master at it."
Bryant finished with 18 points on 16 field-goal attempts in L.A.'s 104-98 win over the Nets.
