The Los Angeles Lakers have basically been a train wreck on the court all season long, and they are slogging their way toward possibly the worst season in the storied history of the franchise. Aside from their on-court struggles, the team has also had to endure speculation about when franchise icon Kobe Bryant will call it quits.
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Bryant has hinted off and on that he will hang up his sneakers at the end of his current contract, which expires after next season. However, he has been careful not to completely shut the door, as he may decide to return if he feels like the team is on the verge of another title.
But after a mysterious report from the Hollywood Reporter surfaced on Friday, the Lakers have had to take time to address the issue of Bryant's retirement once again. The report claims that Bryant definitively stated that he will retire after next season in an upcoming documentary, but Lakers coach Byron Scott is not buying it, according to the New York Daily News.
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"We're in Los Angeles so we have a whole lot of headlines," Scott said. "That one, like I said, until I hear from the horse's mouth, which is Kobe Bryant, I'm not going to believe it."
The coach also indicated that Bryant has not said anything about retiring to him.
Bryant is out for the remainder of the current season with a rotator cuff injury, although he hopes to return at full strength next year. This marks the third straight year Bryant suffered a season-ending ailment.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has previously indicated that he also thinks Bryant will be done after his current contract ends, and he also sounds like the Lakers may not re-sign Bryant even if he wants to continue playing.
"This has been Kobe's team for almost 18 or 20 years," Kupchak said. "And we're much closer to the end of those 18, 20 years than we are to the middle or the beginning. So at some point we have to start a new run. ....To jeopardize the next five or seven years, bring in more money just to win one more year because that's Kobe's last year or could be his last year, I'm not sure that fits into doing it the right way."
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