Kobe Bryant has been enjoying the off-the-court life for three years now, and he's not considering a return to the NBA after spending 20 illustrious years leaving it all on the court. The Los Angeles Lakers icon was prompted with the potential of coming back with the guarantee of another NBA championship, but the longtime competitor wouldn't take the bait.
“No,” Bryant told Candace Parker and Kristen Ledlow in their new Turner Sports podcast. “I like my rings the hard way.”
Bryant earned his first three rings in succession next to a dominant star in Shaquille O'Neal, but soon after detached from that partnership after O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat.
It took a while before Bryant got the chance to contend for a title, but he did next to Pau Gasol, getting a pair of rings in his tandem with the 7-footer. The longtime Lakers legend has been completely opposed to returning to the league since retiring from the game, claiming he left every ounce of sweat on the court after a 60-point season finale against the Utah Jazz to cap the 2015-16 season.
Bryant went out of his way to prove that he could win a title in a team where he was the leading star, so joining other stars in a support role is contradictory to his very own personal mantra. The Black Mamba seems plenty satisfied with what he has achieved through the years, and one more ring is unlikely to change that mindset.
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