Joe Bryant: ‘I Still Think [Kobe] Has 3, 4 or 5 More Years’

Nobody knows how much longer Kobe can play for, but his pops doesn’t think the Lakers superstar will be hitting retirement anytime soon. In a Q+A with the L.A. Times, Joe Bryant said he thinks Kobe can go on for another three-to-five years: “You’re not going to run as fast. You’re not going to jump as high. You have to pick your moments. The great example when he picked his moment was the playoff game when he went down the middle and dunked, the one he had against [New Orleans center Emeka Okafor] in Game 5 of the first-round series. That was checkmate. He’s a warrior and understands the game. All players have injuries. It’s part of it and how he can manage it. He’s been doing a good job with that. Nobody is going to run and jump [like] when they were 18 or 19. It’s impossible for people to think that. As long as he’s enjoying the game and keeps the two seven-footers [Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum], I still think he has three, four or five more years to play at a high level.”