In the recent weeks, numerous people have speculated and hoped that Los Angeles Lakers legend and future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant would come out of retirement and play again for the Lakers alongside LeBron James. Even Bryant's former Laker teammate Shaquille O' Neal told TMZ in a recent interview that Bryant was coming back to the NBA. This further increased the buzz surrounding Bryant's potential return.
Amid all the talk, Bryant's wife Vanessa knew that she had to put an end to all the rumors, as reported by TMZ. she recently took to Instagram to post a short video of her trip to Cabo, Mexico. A user by the name of “sammyquiocho_” commented on the said video and asked if the Black Mamba was coming back to the NBA.
“Is Kobe comin back or not? 🤔 i know it’s lowkey up to you”
Shortly after the comment was made, Vanessa then replied by saying that Bryant will not come back to the NBA and that he does not want to play again. She also added that the Bryant family enjoys the time they spend together outside the hectic schedule of NBA games.
“Kobe will not be coming out of retirement to play again. He doesn’t want to play again and frankly we really enjoy spending time together as a family without the crazy game schedule interfering with birthdays, holidays and special events. 💜”
It's safe to assume that there won't be any Mamba return in the future. Besides, after his extravagant retirement tour in his final season capped by a 60-point farewell game, Bryant could no longer have a better end to a Hall of Fame career even if it meant playing token minutes alongside LeBron.