Kobe's Poor Play May Move up the Release of the Kobe 11... and His Retirement
“If something changes, I’ll come back and play next season. If something doesn’t change, this is it for me.”
As expected, Kobe’s numbers are down and the Lakers are sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference. Some blame Kobe for his team’s poor start, as his play is hindering the development of other, much younger players, but the trade-off is a Kobe-less NBA, and I’m not sure we’re ready to see that just yet. Kobe however may have different feelings.
In a recent conversation on the NBA’s SiriusXM channel, the 37-year-old superstar told Coach Mike Krzyzewski that “If something changes, I’ll come back and play next season. If something doesn’t change, this is it for me.”
Nike, of course, is following this story closely, as it originally planned to release the Kobe 11 in 2016. That may change however. Because Kobes, or any signature sneaker for that matter, tend to sell much better when its namesake athlete is wearing them; rumors suggest Nike will move up the release date of what may be the Black Mamba’s final on-court sneaker to sometime next month.
An early release for the Kobe 11 is welcomed, but Kobe’s retirement will be a sad day for sports.
Stay tuned.
