This is one of the most commonly discussed what-if scenarios in this subreddit (and the NBA subreddit every now and then).

I came across an old thread that actually had one of the more interesting answers:

"Just my opinion but I actually think Kobe would have retired earlier if he had not injured his Achilles. His contract was set to expire at the end of 2014 and he had already been giving some hints that he was almost done. I think being the competitor that Kobe was, there was no way he was going to end his career on an injury so that's when he signed the $24mil loyalty extension "

I went ahead and googled anything about Kobe mentioning retirement before his Achilles tear, and surprisingly, there was quite a number of articles on it:

"Kobe Bryant considering 2014 retirement"

"Is Kobe Bryant retiring after the 2014 season?"

"Kobe Bryant sounds ready to retire after the 2014 season"

"Kobe Bryant expects to make retirement decision over the summer" - This one was just 13 days before he tore his Achilles

This is one of his more often-mentioned quotes about it back in 2012, when considering that the end of his then-contract would put him at 18 seasons:

"It’s just that three more years seems like a really long time to continue to stay at a high, high level of training and preparation and health. That’s a lot of years. For a guard? That’s a lot of years."

What do you guys think? Kobe did have a lot of lingering injuries over the years in his career, with the Achilles being the final straw. Was the Achilles injury the only reason he decided to extend by a couple of seasons, to make sure he didn't end his career on a season-ending injury? Would he have retired two years earlier if he didn't tear his Achilles?