Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Nick Young is all for the possibility of Kobe Bryant suiting up for the BIG3.
On Thursday, it came out that Young, the newest addition to the reigning champs, is praying for the chance to see former Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant participate in the BIG3, according to TMZ Sports.
Ice Cube, the founder of the league, said that he’s been talking to Bryant with the hopes of convincing him to join for the second season:
“I hope so, one day. I hope his competitive juices get the itch in him and he wants to, you know, come in the league and score 50 and win the game. We hope he’ll play one day. But if not you know we still got some great players. Still competitive guys that want to play.”
A myriad of retired NBA fan favorites has appeared in the inaugural season. Guys like Kenyon Martin, Jason Williams and Chauncey Billups have been the most notable, with Allen Iverson, Julius Erving and Charles Oakley occupying some of the coaching roles.
Kobe is enjoying his retirement. As of now, he doesn’t show any desire to play competitive basketball. That could always change.
Also Read: Putting The LeBron-Kobe Debate To Rest
Bryant retired after the 2015-16 season after 20 seasons with the Lakers. The 18-time All-Star cemented himself as one of the all-time greats and brought five titles back to Hollywood. Toward the end of his career, injuries began to pile up, and the Black Mamba slowly regressed to a garden snake.
In his final campaign, Bryant averaged 17.6 points while shooting 35.8 percent from the field. His farewell tour was one of epic proportions; he capped off his career with a 60-point performance, and it didn’t matter that the Lakers mustered just 17 wins that season.
However, we know Kobe. His hyper-competitiveness could come back, and the BIG3 would serve as the perfect platform to quench that thirst.
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