37-aastane viiekordne NBA meister tegi oma otsuse teatavaks luuletuse vormis, mis ilmus Player's Tribune kodulehel. Luuletuse pealkiri on "Dear Basketball" (tõlk: kallis korvpall).

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.

Eile osales Bryant ka mängus, milles Lakers teenis kuuenda järjestikuse kaotuse, jäädes 103:107 alla Indiana Pacersile. Bryanti avele kogunes 13 punkti. Pacersi parim oli 39 punktiga Paul George.