The retirement announcement of the great Kobe Bryant broke the hearts of not only his fans but also the followers of the entire NBA community. The Los Angeles Lakers star has been hailed as one of the greatest basketball players of his generation - with some even claiming that his career molded the sport into what it is today. Hence, the Black Mamba's departure from the hardwood court has been widely perceived as the end of an era.
Throughout the current NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers have been vocal about exerting their efforts in making this run Bryant's farewell tour. While his teammates, including young stars D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Larry Nance, Jr, are apprehensive over the Black Mamba's exit, the NBA veteran himself appears to be excited. Following the news of his decision to not join Team USA for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Bryant shared his plans after his retirement.
"I'm looking forward to skiing a little bit," said the Los Angeles Lakers veteran in an interview with Jared Greenberg and Rick Fox on SiriusXM NBA radio. The Black Mamba added, "I've never been skiing before. Maybe do a little surfing, maybe. Maybe a little skydiving."
According to Fox, who is a former teammate of Bryant, extreme sports are forbidden among the players of the NBA. He disclosed that the athletes are considered investments by the team owners. Hence, the basketball stars are not allowed to engage in activities that could endanger their physical well-being. That is, NBA stars are bound by their contracts to avoid the very activities Bryant now wants to try doing.
Apart from skiing, surfing and skydiving, the Black Mamba also plans to maintain his physique by sticking to his workout routines. Bryant added that he will not be one of the retirees who lounges around their homes the entire day. Instead, the Los Angeles Lakers star intends to adhere still to a schedule to become productive every day.
"I'll continue to work out and I'll continue to stay in good shape," Bryant shared via ESPN. He added, "It's important from a health perspective and also to maintain a schedule. I think to have a career end and then you feel like it would be fun and more free to be able to wake up and not have a schedule and things of that sort."
The Los Angeles Lakers star went on to share, "I think if anything, I think that makes things more confusing for me. It's important to maintain a schedule and get up and continue to train at 6 a.m and then go about my daily routine that I ordinarily would in -- come into the office and working and do the things I want to do for the future. I think it's important to maintain that level of physical fitness because I think, if anything, it strengthens the mind as well."
