Glory of Olympic Send-off for Kobe Bryant Worth the Price of a Few Annoyed Stars

November 11th, 2015 by Kevin Ding Leave a reply »

It's not the world's decision, but let's be realistic about what the world would want.

Kobe Bryant is more beloved around the globe than any of us can even wrap our heads around.

If he and USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo both want a past-prime Bryant to have one last hurrah before retirement, filling a space on the 12-man U.S. Olympic team next August in Rio de Janeiro, then everyone else should be celebrating that instead of second-guessing it.

Bryant, 37, told the Associated Press in Miami on Monday "it would mean the world" to have the opportunity to be with the team again on that stage.

"I would like to play," Bryant said. "I think it'd be awesome. A beautiful experience."

Colangelo has already set the precedent that it's not necessarily about the best players: He promised Paul George a spot for 2016 already after George broke his leg in a U.S. uniform in 2014. He included a 35-year-old Jason Kidd on the 2008 U.S. team for his experience and past contributions.

Team USA is going to win gold in Rio with or without Bryant, with or without George, with or without even ...

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