There is no word yet on what Kobe Bryant plans to do once his contract is up by the end of the NBA regular season but if these injuries continue to hold him back, it could lead to eventual retirement.
With Bryant missing two games already because of a sore back, his playing career is now overshadowed by that daunting cloud of hanging it all up if his body is not able to stand up to the rigors of NBA ball.
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After struggling early in the season, Bryant was able to show some semblance of his old self when the Lakers finally won, beating the Nets. But things just went downhill from there with the Lakers back to their old losing ways and are now a woeful 1-7.
Making it worse was the sore back which has kept Bryant out in the last two games for the Lakers. He sat out that game against the Heat on Tuesday and again Wednesday when the Lakers played the Magic.
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How bad is Bryant’s back? ESPN reports claim that it was so bad that Bryant had a hard time walking.
"If I'm healthy, I'll play. If I can't play, I won't," he said. "The back is really limiting. When the back goes, it's tough. Other than that, it's pretty simple. If I can get out there and play, I will. If I have to play decreased minutes because of it, I will.”
Despite claiming that his sore back is nothing to be alarmed off, it is something that has kept players off the hardwood and eventually retire.
Among the list of players who have gone that route is Larry Bird who retired back in 1992 due to a nagging back injury. The current Pacers president was 35 at that time so one can just imagine the pain that Bryant is dealing with at 37.
But with the advancements in medicine and technology, here is hoping that Bryant can at least still try to finish the season and then take it from there. The worst case scenario is seeing him being forced into retirement with the season still in progress.
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