Kobe Bryant, reflecting on the nature of scandal in sport, believes Fifa needs to clean its house after damaging “the emotional Shangri-La you get from sport”.
Bryant, taking a conference call with international media, took a global view in his comments, which touched on making a final Olympics appearance and spreading basketball around the world.
A noted football fan, Bryant – who spent part of his young life in Italy while his father played professionally there – took a thoughtful turn when it came to assessing tainted football governing body Fifa.
“It’s always a touchy thing.
“You are dealing with a big business. I think this is an important first step to clean up the sport,” said the Los Angeles Lakers legend, referring to the anti-corruption actions taken against many of Fifa’s highest officials.
“With life being as brutal as it is, we come to sport as an escape. When something like this happens, it damages the emotional Shangri-La you get from sport.
“I’m sure they are on top of it and I’m sure they will get the sport back where we all want it to be.”
Bryant, the NBA's third all-time leading scorer, will retire at the end of the 2014/15 season. He said he wanted his legacy to be more than just numbers and achievements – he hopes he has left an indelible mark on basketball itself.
“I try to look at my legacy and how it impacts the future of the game.
“I’m not looking at my legacy from the standpoint of where I fit in with the greatest of all time. For me, it’s a moot point and a shallow argument.
“I think the most important thing and the most beautiful thing is how does your legacy impact the generation of players to come? If what I’ve done and what I’ve stood for these 20 years has impacted the players today and the players tomorrow in a positive way, in a way they can then carry that legacy on themselves and impact the generation to follow, that’s much more significant than where I stand in history.”
A final hurrah for Bryant, he hopes, might include the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he could win his third gold medal with Team USA. No longer at the top of his game, the 37-year-old nonetheless could garner consideration for the experience he would bring to the heavily favoured Americans.
“It’s not something I’m absolutely pressing for but being part of the Olympic experience is a beautiful thing. It would be a beautiful thing to finish my career playing internationally.
“But that being said we will see how it goes.”
Bryant also said he “would have loved to play overseas” before his career was over, but that his fitness would no longer let him give it a go. There was talk during the NBA lockout in 2011 that Bryant might play in China, Turkey or back in Italy.
“I would have loved to have played overseas for a season but it’s not going to happen. I wish I could have done it but I can’t. My body won’t let me.”
He does, however, intend to remain an international figure even as he steps away from the game.
“I definitely plan on helping the game spread and helping kids all around the world understand kind of the metaphors that come along with the game ... everything that surrounds the game of basketball.”
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