Welcome to Kobe Bryant's farewell tour, where Los Angeles Lakers fans will reminisce of the good ol' days while Bryant decides if another jersey is becoming on him.
Granted, Bryant hasn't publicly announced if next season is his last in purple and gold, or whether he'll shelve custom-made Kobe X's for Velcro-strapped mandals and a seaside home in Del Boca Vista. TNT analyst Reggie Miller thinks it's the former, though he expects "the Black Mamba" to play away from Lakerland.
"I cannot see Kobe Bryant, as we all know, as competitive as he is, stopping after next season," Miller said while on The Dan Patrick Show. But on the flip side, it depends on that conversation he has with Mitch Kupchak, and that dollar amount. Because, is he going to hold the Lakers hostage? ... I see him perhaps even playing overseas."
Bryant grew up in central Italy watching Joe "Jellybean" Bryant play for various Italian A1 and A2 League clubs. He's dropped subtle hints at finishing his career along the Mediterranean just as "Jellybean" did, if former teammate Pau Gasol doesn't lure him with a reunion in Spain. The end may even come with Team USA during next summer's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The only imaginable allure of staying stateside - aside from surpassing Karl Malone on the all-time scoring list, which could take anywhere between three and four years - is tying Michael Jordan's six NBA titles.
Given the Lakers' projected roster, Bryant might have a better chance with Virtus Bologna.
ESPN ranked Los Angeles third most turbulent franchise in its annual Summer Forecast for Team Turmoil. A Twitter user quickly pointed out that these are the Lakers; a Lakers team led by Bryant. "It's Kobe, when has his team not had turmoil?," read the tweet.
There was time when Bryant's rancorous demeanor was enough to carry "Showtime" to a playoff berth. He didn't need much, just a power forward like Gasol here and a venerable defender like Metta World Peace there. Before then, Bryant had Shaq O'Neal to parlay scoring opportunities with, until on-court disagreements turned into off-court media fodder, and sophomoric takes turned into O'Neal asking Bryant how his derriere tastes.
Apparently, the beef is over.
"It's time to clear the air," O'Neal told ESPN, "because I've said many times that we were the most enigmatic, controversial, most talked-about, dominant one-two punch. I just want people to know that I don't hate you, I know you don't hate me. I called it today a 'work beef,' is what we had."
Now, the 36-year-old point guard leads a group with a median age of 25 - not counting himself - into the Fury Road of a Western Conference.
"We are going to [training] camp trying to piece this together just like every other team does," Bryant said in an August interview with Yahoo! Sports. "We have to figure out what our strengths are, figure out what our weaknesses are. And every time we step on the court we are going to try to hide our weaknesses and step up to our strengths."
Bryant highlighted solid additions of veterans Roy Hibbert, Lou Williams, and Brandon Bass, along with 2015 first-round draft pick D'Angelo Russell. Last season's standout second-round pick Jordan Clarkson returns to back up Russell at the one-spot after averaging 11.9 points and 3.5 assists per game in 2014-15.
Then there's Nick Young, a gregarious small forward who may or may not be want to join the Australian National Team because pop singer girlfriend Iggy Azalea is a national. A series of back-and-forth tweets between "Swaggy P" and Australia's official Twitter account ended with Golden State's Andrew Bogut chiming in with "Yes and Iggy can rap the anthem."
If anyone between this and former Lakers' teams can relate to Young, it's Metta World Peace. According to Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, World Peace is closing in on a deal to return to L.A. Bryant is reportedly delight with a reunion, especially since World Peace - the player formerly known as Ron Artest - was so pivotal in Los Angeles' 2010 title-winning campaign.
The Lakers have the makings of a playoff team. Whether they slink into an eighth-seed rests in youngsters stepping up, World Peace - if signed - defending like he wants to make a third All-Defensive First Team, and, most importantly, Bryant playing like he wants a sixth ring.
It may be too much to ask from such a green team, but it's all Bryant can hope for. Unless he decides that chasing Jordan's title elsewhere outweighs the mythical need to retire as a one-team Hall of Famer.
Bryant can be the shooter that gets LeBron James' Cavaliers out of their franchise-long championship drought. He can even go out as a Wizard a la Jordan, pulling Washington over the hump they narrowly passed during last year's Eastern Conference semifinals.
Or Bryant can retire on top, leaving his legacy as a Laker and indefensible shooter intact.
"But could this be the last [season]? Absolutely," Bryant said. "It's tough to decide. It's really tough to make those types of decisions. Players I have spoken to say, 'Kobe you will know."
He added, "It's not a swan song when it all has not been written."
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