'I Can't Say It Is The End': Kobe Seeking Career 'Rebirth', Not Retirement
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — With time to reflect on a 20-year career in the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers guard and future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant wants everyone to know he may still have one more curtain call left.
In a pair of wide-ranging interviews released this week, Bryant spoke candidly about his two decades with one of sports most storied franchises, his on- and off-court relationship with Shaquille O'Neal, and why he feels fortunate to be here in the city of Los Angeles.
The 37-year-old Bryant sat down with NBA TV for an interview that aired Monday night in which he shot down any suggestion that he's ready to hang up his jersey, especially in light of the longevity of one of the league's perennial championship contenders.
"I can't say it is the end," Bryant said. "I thought the Spurs were done 20 years ago. Those guys are still winning....So, to answer the question, I can't say this is the end of my era because I thought their [era] was done, and they're still there. So I'm hoping I can have the same rebirth."
Fans and sportswriters alike have speculated on Bryant's future after he underwent surgery in January to repair a torn right rotator cuff, which is expected to sideline him for the next 9 months.
The injury followed a shortened 2013-14 season in which the 17-time All-Star appeared in just six games while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.
While covering topics ranging from his critics to the music of Mozart, perhaps the most telling portion of "Kobe: The Interview" was when Bryant spoke about what motivates him to get back onto the basketball court.
"The process of it. I want to see if I can. I don't know if I can. I want to find out. I want to see," Bryant said. "What I'm going to do is do what I always do: I'm going to break everything down to its smallest form, smallest detail, and go after it day by day. Just one day at a time."
In another interview Bryant gave to GQ Magazine in an issue that hit newsstands Tuesday, the NBA's third all-time leading scorer said he willingly gave up the opportunity to thrive on an individual level when he decided to stay with the Lakers - and with Shaquille O'Neal.
"I chose to extend my deal with the Lakers to play with Shaquille O'Neal and win championships," he said. "I knew what I could have done individually. I could have gone anywhere and destroyed people. I gave that up to win championships."
But despite a very public falling out with O'Neal, Bryant acknowledged the influence Shaq had on his development as a player.
"He had years where he was lazy," said Bryant. "But during those three championships we won? To say he was a beast would be an understatement. To say I didn't learn things from him that I still use to this day would be a disservice."
As little doubt as there is as to Bryant's legacy on the court, his famously competitive personality and his life off the basketball court have often drawn as much criticism as praise - so much, in fact, that the same GQ Magazine ranked Bryant the fifth most-hated athlete in all of pro sports in 2006.
It's a distinction, Bryant said, that is perhaps best understood by fellow Angelenos who excel in their own respective fields.
"You know, I've been fortunate to play in Los Angeles, where there are a lot of people like me. Actors. Musicians. Businessmen. Obsessives. People who feel like God put them on earth to do whatever it is that they do," he said.
"Now, do we have time to build great relationships? Do we have time to build great friendships? No. Do we have time to socialize and to hangout aimlessly? No. Do we want to do that? No. We want to work."
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