Kobe Bryant Speaks on Retirement Rumors, Plans on Leaving the Game as a Laker

Many people (including Phil Jackson and Shaquille O'Neal) have made comments on Kobe Bryant's potential retirement plans. On Monday, during the Lakers Media Day, Bryant finally addressed a few retirement rumors, but he seemed more confused than everyone else. There is one thing he's sure about, and that's the fact that he plans on retiring as a Laker.

During Lakers Media Day, Kobe attempted to provide reporters with the answers they've been looking for regarding his retirement plans, but Kobe failed to clear the rumors up. He has no idea when he plans on retiring, how he plans on retiring or even what's going to get him to retire. On top of all of that, it doesn't even seem like Kobe even wants to retire.

As reported by Bleacher Report, Bryant's clearly not ready to announce what his future holds beyond the 2015-2016 season; all he knows is that he has no interest in leaving the Lakers: "A lot of players want to go to different teams or contend to win championships. I'm a Laker, man. I'm a Laker for better or worse."

So despite former coach Phil Jackson's thoughts of Kobe potentially leaving the Lakers to pursue a championship with another team (possibly even the New York Knicks), Kobe's adamant on remaining a Laker and clearly doesn't share Jackson's view: "I'm a Laker, man. How many times do I have to say that?" Bryant said. "Dude, I bleed purple and gold," the DailyNews reported.

According to NBA.com, when asked if this is his last season, Bryant responded with: "If it is, it is, if it isn't, I'll be ready for next season. I don't spend too much time thinking about it. I've got enough to think about." The player showed that his heart is in the near future rather than the distance when he said, "I'm as excited for this season as I've been in a long time."

At least he doesn't seem too bothered by the retirement questions, as Bryant sees the discussion about his future as a sign of respect, Sporting News reported.

"It could get to become a pain in the ass, but when I sit back and think about it, it's actually cool, because it means that you've had a really good career and people want to know when the time is coming for you to hang 'em up. Like me, don't like me, [but people] respect the career that I've had. I think that's a pretty damn cool thing."