Does Kobe Bryant Still Play in the NBA?

Kobe Bryant is one of the most iconic players in the NBA. Even though he’s retired, his legacy still lives on. Many people are wondering if he still plays in the NBA.

Kobe Bryant’s Retirement

Kobe Bryant, formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers, is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He has been out of the NBA since 2016, when he retired. Some people think he may come back and play again, but as of right now, he is not playing in the NBA.

Why Kobe Bryant Retired

Kobe Bryant played his last game in the NBA on April 13, 2016, scoring 60 points before retiring from the Los Angeles Lakers. In November 2015, Kobe had torn his rotator cuff, which caused him to miss much of the season. The previous year, he had suffered a fracture in his knee. It was evident that these injuries were taking a toll on his body, and Kobe knew that he couldn’t continue to play at the same level as he had in the past.

So, why did Kobe retire? While many athletes retire because they can no longer physically compete at a high level, that wasn’t the case for Kobe. He could have easily kept playing; after all, he was only 37 years old. The reason Kobe decided to retire was because he didn’t want his love for the game to turn into hatred. He didn’t want to stay in the NBA just because he felt like he had to; he wanted to leave on his own terms.

And that’s exactly what Kobe did. He went out with a bang, scoring 60 points in his final game and cementing his legacy as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Kobe Bryant’s Stats After Retirement

Bryant’s retirement ended a 20-year NBA career, acclaimed as one of the greatest of all time. He was a first-round draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996 and played for the Los Angeles Lakers his entire career, winning five championships. He was a` two-time NBA Finals MVP and a league MVP in 2008. A 18-time All-Star, he earned four All-Star Game MVPs.

Bryant’s career scoring average of 25 points per game ranks fourth all time, and his 33,643 total points are ranked third all time. His 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 is the second most points scored in an NBA game, behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s legendary 100-point performance in 1962.

Kobe Bryant’s Current Role in the NBA

Kobe Bryant, also known as the “Black Mamba”, is a retired professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After winning three consecutive NBA championships with the Lakers, Bryant went on to win two more championships in 2009 and 2010. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Kobe Bryant’s New Team

Kobe Bryant is a former professional basketball player who played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for his entire 20-year career. He is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, and ranks fourth on both the league’s all-time regular season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists.

Bryant was drafted out of high school by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. He traded to the Lakers a month later. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. Soon after, he emerged as one of the league’s best players, winning his first NBA Championship in 2000. In 2003 and 2004, he was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP), becoming only the second player in history to win both awards consecutively. In 2006 and 2007, he captured back-to-back titles as part of successful three-peat with Shaquille O’Neal and Derek Fisher playing alongside him.

Following O’Neal’s trade to Phoenix in 2008, Bryant became one of the league’s dominant players, winning consecutive MVP awards in 2008 and 2009 while leading his team to two more NBA Finals appearances. In 2012 and 2013, he won his fifth and sixth championships respectively while being named Finals MVP on both occasions; he became one of only four players to have won that award that many times. In December 2014, at 34 years and 104 days old, Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points. He announced his retirement from professional basketball on November 29th, 2015 via The Players’ Tribune website; he played his final game on April 13th 2016 against Utah Jazz at Staples Center where he scored 60 points before retiring as a Laker.

Now that Kobe has retired from playing professional basketball, he has taken up an advisory role with Granity Studios; which is an American multimedia original content company founded by Kobe Bryant in March 2018 that focuses on online video content across multiple platforms including YouTube, Facebook Watch and Instagram TV.

Kobe Bryant’s Current Stats

Kobe Bryant is currently retired from the NBA.

Conclusion

Kobe Bryant has not played in the NBA since 2016.

Kobe Bryant’s Legacy

Kobe Bryant, who played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, is considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. He was a 9-time NBA All-Star, 5-time NBA champion, and 2-time Olympic gold medalist. Bryant also won an NBA MVP award and 2 Finals MVP awards. After he retired in 2016, the Lakers retired both of his jersey numbers (8 and 24).