Kobe Bryant nearing the end?

Kobe BryantThe news that Kobe Bryant will miss the next six weeks with a broken kneecap has left the LA Lakers without the inspirational force for 21 games, but apart from that it has also thrown up an interesting question about Bryant´s future. It is a question that goes beyond Basketball as it afflicts legends in all sports, and the question is.

When is it right to call it a day?

Sport is filled with numerous cases of legendary people who waited too long to retire and only managed to somewhat sully their legacy. Of course, the flip side to that are those who made triumphant contributions to their sports despite the advancing years. So where is Kobe right now, is he on the way down or does he just need the time to recover?

It is a question that he may well be asking himself as he comes to terms with a second lengthy lay off in under a year. For Kobe Bryant, it could be a case that his body is giving up long before his ability has. Certainly, in his six games back from his last injury he managed to score 20 or more points on three occasions, so there is plenty of magic left in the hands, but can the legs keep up?

What is clear is that the guard will return in early February to push the Lakers to the end of the season and if fit he will see out the $48.5 million two year extension he signed in November. Fitness will be the key for Kobe over those two years and how his body reacts over that time will surely determine whether he has a future in Basketball beyond 2015.

Worryingly, 2013 will not have filled the Lakers or Kobe Bryant with massive amounts of faith. The 35-year old suffered a torn left Achilles tendon in April, an injury that has been known to have deeper repercussions in other players. Bryant made it back into the Lakers starting five within in the six to nine month time frame estimated for recovery, but this latest setback will come as a bitter blow to the player and the franchise.

The broken kneecap will not require surgery, so once the bone is heeled in six weeks Kobe should return with no lasting problems. However, the break occurred in the same leg as the Achilles tear in April and while the injuries are not related it always causes concern to see a veteran sportsperson pick up consistent injuries in the same body part.

Bryant still has the full backing of the Lakers and in fact the franchise is taking the player´s issues in its stride and towing a now traditional line when talking about Kobe Bryant. The player is famed for huge determination and will to perform, something that has become sort of a mystical (or should that be mythical) force. When discussing Kobe Bryant the Lakers seem confident with “hey, this is Kobe, he´ll be okay”.

Whether Kobe will be okay in the long term is another matter but it will be interesting to see where the player is physically come 2015 when his contract is up for renewal. Much will depend on what Bryant wants to achieve in Basketball and whether he has the time in his career to achieve it. Most commentators agree that Kobe Bryant has always had the ambition to be considered the best of all-time, and he still has things to do in the sport.

Of course a topic as subjective and fickle as the best of all time can only be judged on the numbers in the record books, and Kobe Bryant may take another glance at those before deciding to play on after 2015. Some argue that the player is chasing down the all-time NBA top scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, needing just 6,688 more points to get there.

Just 6,688, it is written in such a blaze way that it makes one think Kobe could knock down that amount of baskets in a season. The truth is he can´t (especially when sitting it out) and it is actually a very tight race against time for the player if he wishes to take that particular place in the record books. Bryant would need to play every game from his return to the end of his contract with an average of 33.44 points per game, unlikely considering he hasn´t hit those numbers over a season since 2006/2007.

It is much more likely that Kobe will need more time, possibly as much as two more seasons to track down that figure, but with the injuries mounting and the birthdays passing by, does he really have four more years in Basketball? It is more likely that Bryant is not interested in becoming the top scorer, he has said in the past that breaking the record is not really one of his goals. Of course, if it were to happen it would be another argument for him being named the greatest ever, but it is not the be all and end all.

Probably more important for the player is to win a sixth NBA championship with the LA Lakers, but at the moment he would probably be better off shooting for baskets to break the scoring record. The Lakers are not looking like championship contenders this season and there would have to be a big turnaround at the franchise to claim the NBA title in 2014/2015 too.

Of course, stranger things have happened in Basketball, so Kobe will surely be clinging to his hopes of a sixth ring. If he were to claim it and win another title with the LA Lakers, would Kobe Bryant then retire in 2015? It is certainly a possibility.

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