Lakers GM Kupchak says 2015-16 season will be Kobe's last

Los Angeles Lakers fans are starting to come to grips with the fact that the Kobe Bryant era may be approaching its final act. On Thursday, general manager Mitch Kupchak stoked the flames.

"He's indicated to me that this is it," Kupchak said of Bryant in an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio. "A year from now, if there is something different to discuss, then it will be discussed then."

It's been widely assumed that Bryant will call it a career after his lucrative contract expires at the conclusion of the 2015-16 season, but the five-time NBA champion vehemently denied that he had already made the decision only a few months ago.

During that time, Bryant also said he wasn't into the idea of a season-long farewell tour, and Kupchak said Thursday anything of the sort would be left for the player to decide.

"That's kind of up to the player, how they want to do something like that," Kupchak said. "And it also may take away some options a year from now - put a player in an awkward position. (It wouldn't be a total shock to see Bryant change his mind and return after a season-long goodbye, a la Brett Favre.)

"He will be recognized appropriately, with great gratitude, when it is time."

As for The Black Mamba's recovery from season-ending shoulder surgery, Kupchak noted that Bryant is running and gaining more movement and strength in the shoulder, and that the team expects a full recovery.

"But he's much closer to the end than he is to the beginning," Kupchak cautioned.

Bryant will make a whopping $25 million in the final year of a ludicrous two-year, $48.5-million extension signed in 2013.

Bryant took to Twitter to respond to the buzz, denying that next year will be his final year.

If it is his last year, hopefully it's a healthy one.

Bryant suffered a season-ending torn rotator cuff in January, marking the third consecutive season that an injury prematurely ended his campaign. Bryant ruptured his Achilles late in the 2012-13 season and fractured a knee six games into his 2013-14 comeback.

The 36-year-old, who has logged more than 55,000 career minutes between the regular season and playoffs, has looked the part of a superstar in decline over the past few seasons.

(Courtesy: Basketball Reference. On/off net available since 2000)

It's only natural for Kupchak and others to anticipate that this is, in fact, the beginning of the end.

"There have been no discussions about anything going forward," Kupchak said about Bryant's expiring deal. "I don't think there will be."