Kobe Bryant Comments on Retirement, Kevin Durant's Free Agency, More
Retired NBA superstar Kobe Bryant appeared at the NBA 2K16 Road to the Finals Championship in Los Angeles on Wednesday night and spoke with Alysha Tsuji of For the Win about a number of topics, including retirement and Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant.
"Retirement’s been great for me," Bryant, 37, told Tsuji. "I’m focused on the next thing and enjoying that. I get up every morning, and I’m excited to get to it. It’s been good."
Bryant has certainly kept himself busy. He told Ryan Pearson of the Associated Press in May he's been talking to and seeking advice from giants in the movie industry, including Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams and Jerry Bruckheimer. Bryant owns Kobe Inc., a publishing and production company, and Kobe Studios.
When asked about speaking to those men, Bryant revealed to Tsuji his wide array of mentors throughout his life:
"Yeah, I’ve been really fortunate to have really great mentors throughout my career, which have nothing to do with basketball. Anna Wintour, Arianna Huffington, Mark Parker, Jony Ive, to be able to have access to them, to speak to them — just speak, not necessarily about business in particular, just nature and people and culture and things like that.
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He also revealed his fascination with the storytelling in video games and the growing world of eSports, which he said he wasn't surprised to see continue to grow and become more mainstream, and he would consider investing in it down the line if the right opportunity presented itself.
The conversation then turned to the NBA, and while he wouldn't offer a prediction for the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, he did say he was curious to see how the series played out.
"I don’t really do predictions," he told Tsuji. "I’m more curious to see how tactical, how they solve each other’s problems. They each pose a threat to the other in different ways. I’m curious...to see what the tactics are. After I see Game 1, Game 2, probably after the first half of Game 1, I could pretty much make an educated guess."
He also had a few words of advice for Durant, who is set to become a free agent this summer:
"Yeah, I mean, you know, you’ve just got to look at it holistically. What does he want out of his career, what opportunities present themselves, even I — when I was a free agent — I did my due diligence, I looked at every opportunity and I left no stone unturned, so you have to vet those things. I was just very fortunate things worked out for me in Los Angeles, but he certainly needs to look at every opportunity and make the right decision for himself — keeping in mind his fan base in Oklahoma, as well.
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Indeed, Bryant did little in his career that felt unexamined or miscalculated. The future Hall of Famer finished his 20-year career having averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He was an 18-time All-Star, an 11-time first-team All-NBA selection, a five-time champion, a two-time NBA Finals MVP and the 2007-08 league MVP.
And it appears he will be bringing the same dedication and work ethic to his post-NBA career. Many former NBA superstars, such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, have had incredibly successful careers after their playing days have ended. It's hard to imagine Bryant won't do the same.
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