Lakers’ Kobe Bryant rules out playing overseas after retirement

“He kind of shocked me when he told me”, said Lakers coach Byron Scott, Bryant’s teammate during the 1996-97 season.

Bryant, who made nine of 16 shots, including a pair of three-pointers, scored 22 points and had eight rebounds for the Lakers (4-22), who lost for the seventh time in their past eight games. The Thunder won for the fifth straight time against the Lakers.

“That’s not something I’m pressing for, but being part of the Olympics is such a handsome experience”, said Bryant, before reflecting on his childhood in Italy.

“It’s just some soreness”, Scott said.

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Bryant already has received long ovations on road trips this season, particularly in places like NY and Miami where crowds sensed that they might be seeing him as an opponent for the final time. Scott added of his players, “They didn’t play well at all and really just got embarrassed by the way we played tonight”.

In Memphis, Marc Gasol had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Matt Barnes finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds and the Grizzlies beat Indiana.

Still, the unintentional comedic value of Bryant returning for another two years to another $48.5 million contract would be off the charts though.

According to Durant, Bryant’s career is a dream for any player.

In easily the biggest non-Warriors storyline in the Association this year, Bryant is, of course, planning to end his legendary NBA career at the close of the 2015-16 season. But he doesn’t think it will be a long-term problem and expects to play on Tuesday night against the Denver Nuggets.

Playing in his 20th season, Bryant, 37, pointed out that he had “pretty heavy-duty” surgery on that same shoulder after tearing his right rotator cuff in late January during a dunk against the New Orleans Pelicans.

While Bryant might have liked to follow his father Joe Bryant’s career path in Europe, Bryant said he would still be interested in chasing a third Olympic gold medal. Bryant has spoken glowingly about both players recently, but when the time came to pick his top five, both players got left out in the cold.

Bryant warmed up for Sunday’s game amidst even more than the usual swarm of camera phones and flashes surrounding the court.

Bryant and Durant have developed a mutual admiration for each other ever since Durant entered the league in 2007. For a guy to finish the way he wants to finish, more than half his life as an National Basketball Association player, that’s an accomplishment in itself. The only goal? If you don’t win a championship the season is a failure. “It’s incredible. Not too many people can say that”.