Kobe Bryant is rehabbing a season-ending injury for the third straight year and while he plans on returning for his 20th campaign in 2015-16, right now he doesn't see himself playing beyond his current contract.
Bryant told reporters on Tuesday that he thinks he physically can play beyond next season, but he might not want to.
"Yeah, I could," Bryant said following the Lakers' 93-85 victory over the Detroit Pistons, according to ESPN Los Angeles. "As I sit here right now, do I want to play after next year? No. That could change."
Bryant was lost for the season on Jan. 21 when he sustained a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, but he said thoughts of retiring never crossed his mind.
"Who the hell said I was retiring next year?" Bryant asked. "There was never a question for me, whether or not I was going to play next year. It was never a question."
Bryant missed the last two campaigns with Achilles and knee injuries and said he won't know until after next season whether he wants to return for season No. 21.
"It's if I feel like playing, if I feel like doing the process again, if I feel like I'm enjoying getting up and training every single day and that sort of thing," he said. "After three years of dealing with this crap, I kind of understand why I don't want to deal with that anymore."
Bryant will enter the 2015-16 campaign on the final season of a two-year pact and he is set to make $25 million.
The five-time NBA champion and 16-time All-Star said he is confident that the Lakers will turn things around this offseason through the draft and free agency. Bryant said he would like to be able to pass the torch to someone else before leaving the team.
"I'd much rather hand the keys over to somebody and let them take this organization right from the jump," he said. "I'd much rather do that. Hopefully we can. But if not, even when I'm retired, that's one of the things that I'll be hell-bent on ... to make sure this franchise gets back to where it needs to be."
After setting a record for futility last season with a 27-55 mark, Los Angeles seems to be on pace to break it as it is 17-46 thus far this season.
Bryant, who will turn 37 this summer, has been limited to just 41 games in the past two seasons combined.
If next season does prove to be his last, he'd much rather go out with a bang than with a whimper.
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