Five-time NBA Champion and Los Angeles Laker legend Kobe Bean Bryant announced on Nov. 29 that he would retire at the end of the season and now one of the most decoded basketball careers is coming to a close. Students at AHS mourn over the demise of one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.

“It’s saddening,” senior Moutwakil Omer said. “I’ve watched Kobe all my life and it’s sad that he is leaving the game. He will be missed.”

Bryant has beaten numerous opponents, including Celtics, Spurs and Suns, but ultimately couldn’t defeat one nagging foe – father time.

The Lakers have become a sorry excuse for a professional basketball team, but the fact that Bryant has been underperforming makes the team even more unbearable to watch. Performances like the one on Nov. 24 where he put up four points on 1-14 shooting in a losing effort makes one try to remember when Kobe was actually, well, good. His career has taken a turn for the worse after he suffered a torn achilles towards the end of the 2012-2013 season.

Since then he has been plagued by injuries and old age, resulting in his tragic downfall. In the seasons following his torn achilles, he only played six games in 2013-14 due to a lateral tibial plateau fracture and appeared in 35 contests in 2014-15 before tearing his rotator cuff.

“I think this season has not been to good for him with him getting some injuries and him adjusting to playing at small forward so he isn’t putting up numbers he is capable of,” junior Lucas Michael said.

It’s sad to see one of the most resilient players of all-time, the man who single-handedly dominated the 2000’s with five rings and such a prolific scorer go from stud to dud so quickly.

“It’s pretty emotional because he’s like the Michael Jordan of our era,” senior A.J. Salinas said.

Just three seasons ago, the Lakers were poised to win Bryant his sixth championship that he was desperately yearning for after acquiring all-stars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash in the offseason. The two other members of what was supposed to be a dynamic trio have left Kobe out to dry in his 20th season with the team. Now Bryant is surrounded by undeveloped rookies and has a mediocre squad, causing him to end his career on a sour note.

This is a devastating way for a legend to go out, but it was honestly inevitable.  

“This is what happens when you get older,” senior Natnael Samuel said. “You’ll be good at one point in your life when you’re younger, but once you get older your skills slowly diminish.”

His last season is reminiscent to Jordan’s final season with the Wizards in 2003. They both had average seasons on rebuilding teams. But students hope he can turn things around from here on out.

“The season is still young, so hopefully he can start playing like vintage Kobe,” Michael said.

But just because he’s way past his prime and definitely won’t make the playoffs (unless the Lakers have the audacity to trade him to another team) doesn’t mean fans should whine about his exit from the league, they should enjoy his last few moments while he’s him. They should cherish what’s left of his career, because there may never be another player so clutch and such a dominant scorer ever again.

So don’t be upset when the Lakers can’t find a way to get out of the loss column, celebrate the nights like Dec. 2 where Bryant lit up the Wizards with 31 points and was making baskets when they really mattered. Celebrate the nights where Bryant shows glimpses of his old self.

The nights where Kobe looks like the old Kobe.