Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates his 34th birthday today and with 16 years already in the league, the Black Mamba remains to be one of the top players in the NBA.
It's been a busy year for Bryant, who saw his Lakers fall short of the NBA Finals once again.
The shooting guard recently won Olympic gold in London with the U.S. men's basketball team, where he scored 17 of the team's 107 points. It was the second Gold medal of Bryant's career.
Bryant's gold medal may serve as a good sign for the Lakers because when Bryant won the Gold medal back in 2008 it was followed by consecutive NBA championships in '09 and '10.
Bryant is entering his 17th NBA season, and after the team acquired Dwight Howard and Steve Nash this off-season, it seems like there's a possibility he can get that sixth NBA title he is so desperately striving for.
Over the course of his career Bryant has set many Laker records. He's currently the all-time leading scorer in Lakers history, and is tied with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (amongst others) with five championships as a member of the Lakers.
There is no question that Bryant still has many more great years of playing left in him. If he decides not to retire anytime soon, he will be in good company. One of the greatest players in NBA history, Patrick Ewing, did not retire until 2002, after 17 years in the league. He was 40 years old. All-star Reggie Miller was 39 years old when he announced his retirement from the Pacers at the end of the 2004-2005 season.
