One of the true legends of our era in the sport of basketball has announced that this season will be his last. Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, who has scored the 3^rd most points in NBA history, and has won 5 NBA championships for the Lakers, has stated his intention to retire at the end of this, his 20^th season in the NBA. He will truly be missed by not just Lakers fans, but by fans of the sport of basketball also, as we’ll no longer be seeing one of the most clutch athletes of this generation on the hardwood.

When thinking about the basketball players that were always there to make a big shot at the end of the game, the names that usually come to mind are the greatest of all time, Michael Jordan and three point specialists like Ray Allen and Reggie Miller. In terms of showing up when the lights are the brightest on basketball’s stage, Kobe Bryant has been that guy during his 20 year NBA career. It’s hard to deny Kobe as one of the all time clutch players in the game as evidenced by his 5 NBA championships. 10^th grader, Josh Davonski agrees that Kobe is clutch, saying, “He is clutch, he had many game winning baskets in his career.” Security guard and JV boys basketball coach Ron Gholson agreed adding simply, “Definitely clutch.”

A lot of people are wondering why now in terms of Kobe’s retirement. Some will say Kobe should’ve made one last push for title number 6 to tie Jordan at 6 championships, while others say, why should he keep playing and make an astronomical amount of money when he’s been plagued by injuries and his production has been down the last few seasons. When asked whether now is the time for Kobe to retire Davonski stated, “I think it was time for him to go, he wasn’t as good and productive as he once was.” Gholson shared a similar view, also saying now was the right time for Kobe to go saying, “Yes, because his body is starting to fail him.”

People will always debate what Kobe’s legacy is with the Los Angeles Lakers, from where he ranks among the all time great Lakers like Kareem-Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson, to whether the Lakers should retire his original number, #8, or his current number, #24. In regards to what number the Lakers should retire once Kobe is officially retired, Davonski said, “Retire both, he was great wearing both numbers. Legend.” Gholson however said the Lakers should retire #24. As for where Kobe ranks among the all time Lakers greats, Davonski said Kobe over Kareem, and Gholson said neither Kobe nor Kareem, but that Magic Johnson is the greatest Laker of all time. As for where Kobe should be listed among the all time greats in the sport, Davonski said top 5, while Gholson said top 10.

Basketball fans across the world are going to miss the memories that Kobe Bryant has given them throughout his illustrious career, from his many buzzer beaters, to his incredibly clutch postseason performances, to his 81 point game against the Raptors, Kobe gave the basketball world so much. He will truly be missed in not just basketball but in all of pro sports.