The late basketball star, Kobe Bryant, had a long career in the National Basketball Association. His career in the professional league became almost solely what he was known for until his untimely death in 2020.
Kobe Bryant had a pretty lengthy career with the NBA, playing a similar amount of time as other greats like Shaq and LeBron James. His career was an eventful one with lots of highs and lows, but mainly highs. While most know he played for over a decade before finally deciding to retire four years before his passing, exactly how long was he a player?
When did Kobe Bryant retire from the NBA?
Kobe Bryant began playing in the NBA in 1996, making him one of the youngest players to join the NBA at 18 years old. Despite being initially drafted by the Charlotte Hornets, he never played a game with them. Instead, he was quickly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, who kept him for his whole career. In total, Kobe Bryant played 20 seasons in the NBA. He retired from the sport at the age of 37 in 2016.
Despite his lengthy career in the NBA, Kobe Bryant still wasn’t the player with the longest running career in the league. Currently, this title is held by Vince Carter, who retired from the NBA after a 22 season career playing professional basketball. He also was not the youngest player to be drafted in the NBA. That honor goes to Andrew Bynum, who was drafted at 17 years and 249 days old. Despite this, Bryant still stands out as a legend.