Kobe Bryant to Retire: Takeaways from Lakers Star's Press Conference

Sunday night was emotional for Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant as he stepped onto the floor at the Staples Center for the first time since announcing this will be his final NBA season. 

While Bryant's retirement had been a constant source of speculation since Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak brought it up on SiriusXM NBA Radio in May (h/t Agence France-Presse, via Jonathan Lehman of the New York Post), the five-time NBA champion made the move official in a first-person article for the Players' Tribune:

Following the Lakers' 107-103 loss against the Indiana Pacers, in which he scored 13 points on 4-of-20 shooting, Bryant discussed his decision to retire in more detail. 

As far as when he decided this would be it, Bryant said it did not come out of the blue, per ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes:

Per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Michael Jordan told Bryant to "just enjoy" the ride during his final season after Bryant informed the Chicago Bulls legend over the summer that this would be his last season. 

While it's an emotional time for Bryant, he added he's comfortable with walking away, per Holmes and Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe:

Expanding on that point, per Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters, Bryant said, "I just had to accept the fact that I don’t want to do this anymore and I’m OK with that."

Never one to shy away from giving an honest assessment, Bryant critiqued his own performance this year, per Mike Trudell of TWC SportsNet:

As difficult as this season has been for Bryant and the Lakers, he admitted to taking something away from it already, per Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated:

Even though Bryant is fading away in his final season, hearing him talk about the beauty of Los Angeles' 2-14 start was fascinating.

The expectations for the franchise were low before the season began and have only gone down over the last month, yet Bryant is around young talent, such as Julius Randle and D'Angelo Russell, every day. He can see where the Lakers will go after he leaves. 

In fact, the 37-year-old joked that he is too old to even be considered an old guy on the Lakers roster, per Golliver:

Bryant may not be the same player who used to be regarded as one of the best in the NBA, but he's still fighting with everything he has to help the Lakers win games and develop talent for the future. It's going to be a long process, and he will have a small part in it before walking away.