Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will retire after next season, the team’s general manager said in a radio interview on Friday.
“He has indicated to me that this is it,” Mitch Kupchak said during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “There have been no discussions about anything going forward. I don’t think there will be.”
Bryant, who will be 37 when next season begins, has one year remaining on his contract with the Lakers worth $25m.
A 17-time All-Star and five-time NBA champion, Bryant was averaging 22.3 points, 5.6 assists and 5.7 rebounds for the last-place Lakers before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in January.
In December, Bryant surpassed Michael Jordan for No3 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
