Kobe Bryant’s 20th NBA season will officially be his last.
The Los Angeles Lakers guard announced on Sunday he will retire at the end of the season.
"This season is all I have left to give,” Bryant wrote on The Players Tribune.
"My heart can take the pounding, my mind can handle the grind, but my body knows it’s time to say goodbye."
Bryant, 38, is averaging 15.7 points in 12 games this season.
He is shooting a career-low 31.5 percent from the field.
"I'm ready to let you go,” Bryant wrote.
"I want you to know now so we both can savour every moment we have left together. The good and the bad. We have given each other all that we have.”
Originally drafted 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, Bryant has spent his entire career with the Lakers.
The five-time NBA champion has been selected to the NBA All-Star game 17 times and is the third leading scorer in NBA history behind Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.