Kobe Bryant Says He's a 'Laker for Life' Following Win vs. Nets

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are finally in the win column after a 104-98 victory over the 0-6 Brooklyn Nets on Friday.

Bryant was 5-of-16 from the field with 18 points, dwindling his field-goal percentage to 31.7 on the year, a career low.

The 20-year veteran is coming off three season-ending injuries, and his contract is up at the end of the season, raising questions about his future—with the Lakers or, dare to imagine, elsewhere. 

Bryant remained firm Friday that he plans to don purple and gold for the rest of the way, per Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com:

On Saturday, Bryant continued to talk about his future in the NBA, per Holmes: 

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"If you asked me today, this would be my last year. But you never know," said Bryant, who is in the final year of his deal with the Lakers. "We'll keep it open. Whatever happens, happens."

[...]

Bryant did say that this is the first year his two young daughters have come to grips with the fact that this could be their father's final season in the NBA.

"Of course, they want me around all the time, and I want to be around them all the time," Bryant said. "It's like, if you want to, cool, and if not, [that's] cool, too."

His recovery between games is now an "all-day" process, with ice, stretching, massages and more. But Bryant said he's OK carrying that routine into future seasons beyond this one.

"Yeah I could," Bryant said. "If I wanted to keep playing, I could figure it out. Absolutely."

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Earlier this week, Bryant pegged himself as the 200th-best player in the league, according to the Associated Press. FiveThirtyEight believed that ranking might have been generous:

During the offseason, Bryant wouldn’t concede the 2015-16 campaign would be his last. But his steadfast commitment to retiring with the Lakers with free agency looming and the team in need of a rebuild indicates the legend could sadly be in the midst of his twilight.