AP Photo/Alex Gallardo
Even as his body kept breaking down, Kobe Bryant vowed to repair it. Even as his play plummeted, Bryant believed he would reverse course. Even as the Lakers stayed at the bottom of the Western Conference, Bryant stayed determined to carry them.
But at some point on Saturday night, Bryant informed Lakers coach Byron Scott that he would retire following the 2015-16 season. The news first left Scott “shocked” and then “sad.” Scott finally realized this would mark the end of a storied 20-year career with the Lakers since a draft-day trade in 1996 that sent Vlade Divac to Charlotte for the 17-year-old Bryant taken with the 13th overall pick.