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Legendary NBA player Kobe Bryant on Sunday announced his retirement, saying the current season would be his last.

Kobe Bryant announced his retirement in a letter published on Nov. 29, 2015. (Credit: Walter Iooss/The Player's Tribune)
Kobe Bryant announced his retirement in a letter published on Nov. 29, 2015. (Credit: Walter Iooss/The Player’s Tribune)

“This season is all I have left to give,” the Laker wrote in a heartfelt letter addressed to the game of basketball and published by the website Players’ Tribune. “I’m ready to go.”

After Bryant tweeted a link to the letter on Sunday afternoon, theplayerstribune.com promptly crashed, apparently due to the large number of visitors.

Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, issued a statement which began by listing Bryan’s myriad accomplishments during his storied career.

“With 17 NBA All-Star selections, an NBA MVP, five NBA championships with the Lakers, two Olympic gold medals and a relentless work ethic, Kobe Bryant is on of the greatest players in the history of our game,” the statement said. “Whether competing in the Finals or hoisting jump shots after midnight in an empty gym, Kobe has an unconditional love for the game.”

The complete text of Bryant’s letter is below:

Dear Basketball,
From the moment
I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:

I fell in love with you.
A love so deep I gave you my all —
From my mind & body
To my spirit & soul.

As a six-year-old boy
Deeply in love with you
I never saw the end of the tunnel.
I only saw myself
Running out of one.
And so I ran.
I ran up and down every court
After every loose ball for you.
You asked for my hustle
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more.
I played through the sweat and hurt
Not because challenge called me
But because YOU called me.
I did everything for YOU
Because that’s what you do
When someone makes you feel as
Alive as you’ve made me feel.
You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I’ll always love you for it.
But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.
And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have.
And we both know, no matter what I do next
I’ll always be that kid
With the rolled up socks
Garbage can in the corner
:05 seconds on the clock
Ball in my hands.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1
Love you always,
Kobe

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