Kobe Bryant return is one of the most anticipated in the upcoming 2015-16 NBA season.
However, some Los Angeles Lakers fans are fearing his return this year could also be the last they will see of him. At 37 years old and 19 years of rigorous battles with several generations of ballers, the Black Mamba is nearing the twilight of his career.
If it is Shaquille O'Neal who will be asked, he'd rather see his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate play few more years after 2015-2016 season. Kobe Bryant return should extend beyond what is predicted by the public.
"If you still got something, you should go because once it's done you can't get it back," O'Neal said in an interview with NOLA.com's John Reid.
Kobe Bryant played only 41 games in the past two seasons owing to injuries on shoulder, ankle, and foot. In that span, he was also able to climb no. 3 in All-Time scoring record. He over took Shaquille O'Neal, Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.
In the same interview, Shaq also talked about how he could have broken scoring records had he chose to continue playing.
"If I hadn't got hurt I would have went on and played my last season to try and break Wilt Chamberlain's scoring record.
"But it's different for a guard because they got control --'I'm going to shoot this time. For big guys, it is kind of hard. You've got to labor down."
Shaquill O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's relationship took the spotlight last month as the two sat down in the retired NBA center's show "The Big Podcast with Shaq."
There, they talked about what went on between them in the years they were playing together and what they mean to each other now after fixing their misunderstanding in the past.
Like Shaq, Black Mamba's Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott is also excited about Kobe Bryant's return. However, he is not high on giving his top billed player the same amount of playing time he got in the past years.
"I think the biggest decision is playing time, trying to make that as limited as possible and also back-to-back games," Scott said in an interview with Bill Oram of the Orange County Register.
"That's something we have to talk about. Other than that, there really is no other decision to make. He wants to play, and he wants to go out the way he wants to go out - if this is indeed his final year. He and I have talked a number of times on the phone, we've talked about playing time, we've talked about back-to-backs, we're going to probably sit down as we get closer to training camp or as we get in training camp and even talk more about it."
Scott also disclosed that he talked to Kobe Bryant about playing time and he wants him to be consistent the whole season.
"Because the one thing I want, if this is his last year, I want him to go out standing. I don't want him to go out hurt. I want to make sure I do everything in my power to make sure we stick to the game plan, as far as his minutes and as far as back-to-back games."
