Kobe Bryant's Future with 2016 Rio Olympics Team Discussed by Jerry Colangelo

As preparations continue for the 2016 United States Olympic basketball team, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo says Kobe Bryant may want his final act to come with a gold medal in Rio next summer.   

Per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin, Colangelo said Thursday that Bryant told him about a possible plan for the future Hall of Famer to leave the sport on a high note:

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And so, he also mentioned to me in a private conversation that if he had his druthers, he would love to ride off into the sunset playing one more time and winning the gold medal. And that would be the end. But he was very quick to say, "But, I don't want a spot. I need to earn the spot. I need to be capable of playing at that level to be considered." And I said, "You got that. That's always there for you, Kobe."

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This would be a change for Bryant, who said in 2014 he had no intention of playing in the Olympics, even if he was given the opportunity to join Team USA.

Bryant is certainly no stranger to USA Basketball, winning gold medals in the 2008 and the 2012 Summer Olympics. He's had an arduous run over the past two NBA seasons, playing in just 41 total games due to injuries and shooting under 43 percent from the field each campaign. 

While Bryant hasn't come out and said he will be retiring from the NBA after his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers expires following this season, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a May interview on SiriusXM NBA radio (h/t Agence France-Presse, via Jonathan Lehman of the New York Post) the former MVP has "indicated" this is his final year. 

Health and performance will dictate whether Bryant gets the opportunity to win another gold medal before his career ends. Given the wealth of talent head coach Mike Krzyzewski will have to choose from, Bryant will have to prove he can still play at around the same level as he did during his prime.