It is well known that the NBA stars often have a similar struggle in bidding farewell to the game, after breathing it for years. While multiple NBA stars have spoken about their experience with retirement, the most recent one was from Vince Carter, who shared the instance when he sought Kobe Bryant‘s opinion of this phase.

In a recent interview with Taylor Brooks, Carter recollected the time he announced his last year in the NBA. But he did not say that he was retiring because he struggled with this word back then. This struggle ended only after he talked to Kobe Bryant during a game against the Brooklyn Nets. “I asked him about that word (retiring). How is it? He said, ‘Greatest thing ever. It’s the best feeling. You’re going to enjoy it. This side is not that bad because I get a chance now to coach my daughter, be there for her…'” Carter recalled.

This came as a relief for the former Toronto Raptors star because he believed if someone as passionate for the game as the Black Mamba could make his peace with retirement, so could he. “If Kobe Bryant, who we all know him to be an A-hole and a degenerate of this game, can say that to me, I can say I’m retiring,” Carter said in the interview with Brooks.

It is well-documented that the Black Mamba had an immense respect and love for the game. So much so that he’d prioritize the game over his teammates, for which he even gained the reputation of not being an easy teammate. So it’s hard imagining retirement coming easy to a player like him, but the reality turned out quite the opposite.

The time when Kobe Bryant accepted not missing the game

Since 1995, it was the first time in 2016-17 that the 5x NBA champ was not playing in the league. Speaking about not being a part of the action any more, he told ESPN in 2016 that he does not actually miss it. “It’s strange to think a couple years ago, to be in this emotional space would be unfathomable. But I mean not even a smidge,” the LA Lakers icon said.

He further expressed his thankfulness for this scenario, as this made his transition seamless. “I can really just watch and just enjoy the games,” he stated. One thing that had helped Kobe with the transition, as stated by him, was throwing himself into new business ventures.

This also included his decision to release his Nike shoes on Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. “What it means to me is the balance of both things,” Bryant said of the holiday, further adding, “You’ve got to be able to have death in order to have life. It’s finding the balance of both things and finding the beauty in both of those things.” The legend’s words continue to inspire.