PHILADELPHIA — The news struck Kobe Bryant’s alma mater with the same impact as one of his game-winning shots. The Lakers’ 37-year-old star officially announced this week that he would retire following the 2015-16 NBA season.
“You know something like this is probably coming,” Lower Merion spokesman Doug Young said. “But when it happens, that’s when it triggers the emotions.”
Those emotions varied.
After coaching Bryant through the early stages of his basketball career that ended in a state championship, Lower Merion coach Gregg Downer admitted did not exactly anticipate his star player determining his future until the last moment.