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Kobe Bryant: How Acknowledging His Retirement Has Rejuvenated Him

By Carter Johnson

Nov 12, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) against the New Orleans Pelicans during a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Lakers 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) against the New Orleans Pelicans during a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Lakers 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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By announcing his retirement, Kobe  Bryant has freed himself of his staunch expectations and is focusing on enjoying the game, which has revived his play.

It was apparent that Kobe Bryant was struggling.

Struggling with trying to prove to himself that he could still be the Black Mamba and that he could hold off Father Time for a little while longer.

Struggling with trying to show himself that he could carry the franchise that he loves and has carried for the better part of two decades for a few more years, at least until the young core the Los Angeles Lakers had assembled to carry his torch had developed into one that was up to the task.

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Struggling to convince himself that his body, his mind and his spirit could endure the rigors of preparation and playing in even one more season, let alone more than that.

Bryant was struggling — and it showed in his game.

Nov 22, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) reacts in the second half of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

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Through the first 16 games of the season, it was apparent that Kobe was willing himself against Father Time. By taking an un-Kobe like amount of three-pointers, he was trying to show fans, critics and himself that he could adapt to the new wave of basketball, one his game had always stood staunchly in contrast to.

By taking 20 shots a game, he was trying to show that he was still that Kobe that could catch fire at any second and eviscerate an entire team, the same one who could go for 30 points in a quarter with ease. He was trying to prove that he was and could still be the Lakers’ franchise player.

On Sunday afternoon, Bryant finally stopped struggling.

Bryant declared in a poem published on The Players’ Tribune what many of us already knew — that he would walk away from the game of basketball at season’s end. He had been harboring these feelings since before the season started and after a month of trying to fight them off, he finally acquiesced.

Though the poem evoked feelings of sadness for many fans, opponents and critics alike, Bryant’s words carried one essential message: enjoying the time he has left with the game of basketball.

In the two games since the announcement, it seems he’s doing just that — and he’s playing better in the process.

Seeing as the first game following the announcement was on the road against the 76ers, Bryant wanted to enjoy his last game in his hometown of Philadelphia and give the fans a show — and he did not disappoint on either end.

Against a young, starstruck group of Sixers, Bryant came out scorching in the first quarter, hitting three consecutive three pointers and scoring the Lakers’ first 11 points in a hot streak that fans haven’t seen from him in a long time on his way to having 13 in the quarter.

Bryant had a certain bounce about him to start that game that indicated that he was doing something he couldn’t do when he was fighting against his own limitations: having fun. In the midst of letting loose and allowing himself to enjoy the moment, he had one of his best performances of the season, despite ending the night with 20 points on 26 percent shooting in a loss.

That energy carried over to his play the next night against in the nation’s capital against the Washington Wizards. For a second consecutive night, Bryant turned back the clock, pulling out a vintage Kobe performance with turnaround jumpers like this one on Garrett Temple:

Bryant steadily contributed through the third before going into Black Mamba mode one more time late in the fourth, hitting a three that put the Lakers up two before hitting this game-clinching fadeaway with 30.8 seconds left:

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    • At night’s end, Bryant had put on his best performance of the season, scoring a season-high 31 points on 42 percent shooting and helping the Lakers seal the deal in a 108-104 win over a pretty decent team in the Wizards.

    What also differed in this game was that this time, Bryant’s energy carried over to the rest of the team as well. Julius Randle had a double-double midway through the third quarter and finished with 14 points and 19 boards, while D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson both were in the double digits in the scoring column (18 and 13, respectively).

    Even better, the team went on a 13-0 run to take the lead midway through the first and led by as much as 15 points before taking a six point lead into the half and were finally able to close in a tightly contested game.

    The past two games are evidence that this announcement has not only freed Bryant, and perhaps the rest of the team, to enjoy the remainder of his time on the court; it’s reinvigorated him by giving him a sense of urgency to make these last few games memorable and to make each remaining night count.

    It’s clear the Mamba is once again playing with a purpose and has found the piece of motivation to push him through the last hurrah of his career.

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    Looks like fans of the team and Kobe alike may have something to look forward to after all.

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