Kobe Bryant Comments on Playing for 2016 Olympic Team in Rio

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is playing in his 20th NBA season, and while this may be his last, it's possible it won't be the end of his basketball career.

Per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press (via U.S.News), Bryant said his desire to be part of Team USA in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics is strong:

"

It would mean the world to me to be around those guys. I think to be able to have a chance to continue the relationship that I already have with most of those guys, talking and just kind of being around each other and understanding that this is it, it's just us being together, that would be fun.

"

At the tail end of his career, Bryant is struggling with his shot. He is connecting on a career-low 32 percent of his attempts for the 1-5 Lakers. However, he is a future Hall of Famer and a member of the past two Team USA Summer Olympics gold-medal teams in 2008 and 2012.

Despite his struggles, Kobe seems to think he can add value to Team USA on the court, not just in terms of a veteran presence, per Reynolds: "How I feel now is that I feel like I can add value from a leadership perspective and a defensive perspective," Bryant said. "I can still move extremely well defensively."

Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone have scored more career NBA points than Bryant, but at 37-years-old, it could be a matter of staying healthy that determines whether Kobe plays in the Olympics.

For his career, Bryant averages 25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.