Kobe Bryant is finally ready to say goodbye

Bryant began his NBA career in 1996 by wearing No. 8, the number he wore in Italy and also a nod to the number he wore at the Adidas ABCD Camp, 143, whose digits add up to 8. He never intended to switch numbers entering his career, but he says he did so because the Lakers had changed directions by trading Shaquille O'Neal to the Heat in 2004. (A year prior, Bryant was arrested and accused of sexual assault, but in 2004 the criminal charges were dropped and Bryant settled a civil lawsuit.)

"It's kind of a clean slate," he says. "I started new. Just start completely fresh, focus on the number that meant a lot to me."

He had intended to change his number immediately, but the deadline had passed, so it wasn't until the 2006-07 season that Bryant donned No. 24, the number he wore early in his career at Lower Merion High School, in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

The two numbers halve Bryant's career neatly into two chapters, and, eerily, he scored almost the same number of points in each: 16,777 as No. 8, 16,866 as No. 24.

As Bryant considers his two different NBA selves, he focuses on one word: growth.

"When I first came in at 8, is really trying to 'plant your flag' sort of thing," Bryant says. "I got to prove that I belong here in this league. I've got to prove that I'm one of the best in this league. You're going after them. It's nonstop energy and aggressiveness and stuff.

"Then 24 is a growth from that. Physical attributes aren't there the way they used to be, but the maturity level is greater. Marriage, kids. Start having a broader perspective being one of the older guys on the team now, as opposed to being the youngest. Things evolve. It's not to say one is better than the other or one's a better way to be. It's just growth."

He adds, "It's a new book, 24 -- 24 is every day. Because when you get older, your muscles start getting sore. Body starts aching. You show up to practice that day, you have to remind yourself, 'OK, this day is the most important day. I got to push through this soreness. My ankles are tight, they won't get loose. I got to go through it, because this is the most important day.' So, 24 also helped me from a motivational standpoint."

Three of Bryant's five titles came as No. 8, but his lone NBA MVP award came as No. 24 -- ammunition for fans who prefer one or the other. Which Kobe does Kobe himself prefer?

He takes a long pause, rubbing his chin.

"It's the season where I ruptured my Achilles, actually," he says. "Because I felt like I was playing the best basketball I've ever played in my entire career."

That would be the 2012-13 campaign, when the Lakers brought in Steve Nash and Dwight Howard and seemed poised for another title run, only to be sabotaged by injuries, turmoil and infighting. Late in the season, Bryant pushed himself like never before to help the team barely reach the playoffs, but along the way, he essentially drove himself into the ground, even though his own teammates, coaches and members of the training staff tried to protect him from himself, as ESPN detailed in April 2016.

"I had to work like a maniac to be there, but I was able to be there," Bryant recalls. "Mentally, emotionally, I was able to see five, six moves ahead in the game, and all sorta crazy s---."

After the Achilles injury, Bryant was never the same, suffering season-ending injuries in each of his next two seasons.

"That was one of my favorite times, yeah," he says, smiling. "It almost killed me, but it was fun."

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