Although Kobe Bryant is no longer participating in the on-court struggles of the Los Angeles Lakers - who are having one of the worst seasons in franchise history - he is still earning plenty of headlines over what the future holds for him.

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A report late last week indicated that Bryant had given a definitive word on his retirement and that it would come at the end of his current contract, which is up after the 2015-16 season. But according to Complex, Bryant never said any such thing.

Kobe shot down the report during a recent interview. When asked whether he was in fact planning to retire, Kobe responded with a simple, "That's not true."

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Kobe also went on to indicate that he has not yet decided when he will hang up his playing shoes for good. He no doubt does not want to go out while playing for a struggling Lakers team, and he also may hang around to chase some career milestones, as he has a chance to pass Kareem and become the NBA's all-time leading scorer if he plays a few more seasons.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has hinted during past interviews that he believes Bryant will retire when his current contract ends. If Bryant decides that he does want to keep playing beyond next season, it could set up an interesting showdown between the Lakers and the future Hall of Famer, as Kupchak has also intimated that the team may not be interested in having Bryant play beyond next season, regardless of what he says he wants to do.