Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on Monday said he has not made any decision over his looming retirement as he prepares to embark on his 20th season with the franchise.
Bryant’s future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent months, as the 37-year-old enters the second year of a two-year contract deal signed in 2013 that will see him earn US$25 million this season.
Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson on Friday said he believed Bryant could elect to extend his career with another team after this season, doubting he would choose to retire.
However, Bryant kept reporters guessing on Monday as he wearily brushed off questions about his plans, saying he did not know when the time would come.
“I don’t know what will be the decisive factor,” Bryant said. “How do we know when it’s time? Derek Jeter, Michael Jordan, it was different for all of them. Will I wake up one morning and say ‘That’s it’? Is it a gradual thing?”
“I don’t spend much time to think about it — there is so much to think about, this season, this group,” Bryant added.
He admitted that having to field questions about his retirement date “can be a pain in the ass.”
“But when I sit back and think about it, it’s cool, because it means that I had a very good career, people respect my career,” Bryant said.
The Lakers’ fortunes have nosedived in recent years, with the team failing to make the playoffs last year. Bryant’s fortunes have also fluctuated, with shoulder, Achilles and knee injuries all limiting his ability to help inspire the team as the elder statesman.
He acknowledged that prospects for the upcoming season were uncertain, but said he was excited by the mix of experience and youth on the roster.
“There are big question marks on that team, but I am excited, there are young guys, veterans who have played together in the past, it’s an interesting mix, we have done the work, now it’s the time to put the pieces of the puzzle together,” Bryant said.
“It’s interesting to be around these young guys, it’s the beginning of their career, of their journey. I am as excited as I have been for a long time. They are bringing energy, it’s fun to be part of that — it makes you feel younger,” he added.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Ferrari’s F1 fortunes might be flagging, but the Italian team start this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as favorites, targeting a third consecutive triumph in motorsport’s fabled endurance classic. Roger Federer is acting as celebrity starter with the tennis icon getting the 93rd edition of the jewel in four-wheeled endurance racing’s crown under way tomorrow. Twenty-four hours later, through daylight, darkness and dawn, the 21 elite hypercars are to battle it out over 300 laps (more than 4,000km) in front of a sold-out 320,000 crowd burning the midnight oil with copious quantities of coffee and beer. Ferrari made a triumphant return after
RSS