LOS ANGELES -- Armed with the knowledge that his next NBA season would in fact be his last, Kobe Bryant confided in the player whose game shaped his own, a man who had his own struggles deciding to leave basketball behind.
He called Michael Jordan last summer and said, "This is it."
Jordan responded, “The important thing is just enjoy it. No matter what. Just enjoy it. Don’t let anybody take that away from you.”
Bryant understood. After Sunday, it is clear the Lakers star is firmly in charge of his final ride.
His announcement in The Players’ Tribune that he will retire in April allowed Bryant to reclaim a narrative that, over a brutal start to the season, had careened toward the obscene.