Kobe Bryant announced on Sunday night before the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Indiana Pacers that he will be retiring at the end of the 2015-16 season. Though fans new that the end of Kobe’s time in the NBA and with the Lakers was near, the announcement still hit like a ton of bricks.
However, the news of Bryant’s impending retirement doesn’t resonate with only Lakers fans. Kobe has meant as much to the NBA over the past decade-and-a-half as any other player in the league. His desire and his achievements are near-unmatched in the history of the league and, to see a player of that importance walking away from the game is truly staggering.