Kobe Bryant says he will retire at end of season

Kobe Bryant of the USA celebrates after winning against Spain during their Men's Basketball final medal match of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at Olympic Basketball Gymnasium, Beijing, Aug 24, 2008. [Photo/IC]

The Lakers' next road game is in Philadelphia - perhaps not coincidentally, given the otherwise strange timing of Bryant's announcement.

"Philly is where I grew up," Bryant told AP in an interview in Miami earlier this month. "It's always a different emotion there than anywhere else."

Bryant was the first guard ever to be drafted directly out of high school, taken 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets and traded to the Lakers. Although he won the dunk contest at All-Star weekend as a rookie, his Lakers didn't become title contenders until coach Phil Jackson arrived in 1999 and built a three-time champion around Kobe and Shaq.

Bryant made a fourth NBA Finals appearance in 2004 despite his preseason arrest for sexual assault and subsequent legal proceedings that sometimes required him to fly from Colorado to Los Angeles on game days. The assault case against Bryant was dropped in September 2004, but his behavior affected his reputation.

Bryant scored 81 points against Toronto on Jan 22, 2006, the second highest-scoring performance in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game.