Straight from the Mamba's mouth ... Kobe Bryant says he's NEVER returning to pro basketball.
The NBA legend set the record straight in an interview with Rich Eisen ... saying "I will never come back to the game. Ever. I am here to show people that we can do much more than that."
Of course, Black Mamba already has an Oscar for his animated short film "Dear Basketball" ... and has a bunch of other projects geared towards connecting youth to sports.
"There's about a 0-percent chance I come back and play," Bryant says.