Some NBA players feel that Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant could extend his career for 2 more years despite his retirement announcement.
As the Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets, the "Black Mamba" relived his former glory with an emphatic slam dunk over defensive center Clint Capela. The acrobatic move had the Staples Center rocking in a relatively quiet evening as the home team was blown out 107-87.
According to silverscreenandroll.com, after the highlight worthy play, the 5-time NBA champion hit his next three shots as the Lakers cut the lead to seven. Bryant's performance had top pick D'Angelo Russell and sophomore forward Julius Randle in awe of the former Most Valuable Player.
Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation said that Russell said this about Bryant's highlight play: "You've got two years left in you if you do something like that."
As L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina tweeted, Julius Randle said "That was crazy. That was vintage Mamba right there. That was nuts. That caught me by surprise."
The 37 year old Bryant announced his retirement via theplayerstribune.com. The poem was a letter from Bryant to the game of basketball. It said "Dear Basketball, from the moment I started rolling my dad's tube socks and shooting imaginary game-winning shots in the Great Western Forum, I knew one thing was real: I fell in love with you."
Despite this, rumors have surfaced that there's still a chance he will play after this season. Since Bryant has put up efficient games versus the Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks and the Houston Rockets, experts believe that he would likely play for one more year if he feels his body is responding again.
Sources close to the organization think that Bryant's announcement came from frustration but would his mind would easily change if he start performing well again. In addition to this, if the Lakers could sign a superstar free agent like Kevin Durant, the chances of Bryant returning would significantly increase. Furthermore, according to Dan Devine of Yahoo! Sports, Durant has been rumored to show interest in joining the Lakers organization next season during free agency.
