Age and injuries have combined to make Kobe Bryant a shell of the player he once was. His contract expires at the end of this season, too, leading to widespread speculation that 2015-16 will be the last we see of the Los Angeles Lakers legend on the hardwood.
Shaquille O’Neal, though, hopes his former foe and teammate plays beyond 2015-16. In an interview with John Reid of The New Orleans Times-Picayune, the future Hall of Famer implores Bryant to continue his legendary career as long as possible, and says he wouldn’t have retired in 2011 if he were fully healthy.
But O’Neal encourages Bryant to continue playing beyond this season if he desires so…
”If you still got something, you should go because once it’s done you can’t get it back,” O’Neal said. ”If I hadn’t got hurt I would have went on and played my last season to try and break Wilt Chamberlain’s scoring record.
”But it’s different for a guard because they got control –‘I’m going to shoot this time. For big guys, it is kind of hard. You’ve got to labor down.”
O’Neal labored through right leg injuries for the entirety of his final NBA season. Though the big man certainly made a positive impact for the Boston Celtics, he only appeared in 37 games during 2010-11, the fewest amount of his 19-year career.
If Bryant is healthy enough to play another season or two beyond the coming one, what will most decide his potential effectiveness is whether or not he’s comfortable taking a backseat. The 37-year-old is no longer equipped to be the focal point of an offense, but could certainly provide helpful scoring and playmaking punch for a contending team – especially coming off the bench.
The problem for Bryant, of course, is that it seems unlikely the Lakers will emerge as contenders in the next couple years barring a major free agency coup. Los Angeles just isn’t talented enough to compete in a loaded Western Conference, and its most gifted players are still NBA infants. Going forward, might Kobe consider wearing colors other than purple-and-gold? We doubt it.
No matter Bryant’s decision on his playing future, what’s ultimately most important is that he goes out on his own terms – a decision O’Neal, apparently, wasn’t lucky enough to make.
[Via The Times Picayune]
