Peyton Manning or Kobe Bryant: Who is stepping into retirement on a higher stage?

It appears Bryant is at peace with the inevitable. He doesn’t care if his team is at the bottom of the Western Conference. Manning spent his final hours as a professional fighting and clawing against the very best, writes Aaron Gray.

Denver Broncos quarterback Payton Manning, left, and LA Lakers forward Kobe Bryant. AP Photo / David Zalubowski

Countless professional athletes in America put on a jersey each night and bring home a hefty paycheck. Several of them will rise to stardom and win a title or two.

Only a handful actually achieve the status of “icon” within their respective sport and can be referenced solely by their first name.

Kobe.

Peyton.

Each has captivated the sporting public over the past two decades.

Both will step down after this season.

But while the twilight of their careers hit a few rocky patches and the wins became harder to come by, an obvious question needs to be asked: who is stepping into retirement on a higher stage?

Kobe Bryant, 37, announced in November that the 2015/16 season would be his last with the LA Lakers, capping a 20-season NBA career. Since that announcement, Bryant has collected overwhelming applause and some cool souvenirs during away games to cap his never-going-to-end farewell tour.

He started the season in typical Kobe form – shooting way too much as his team slumped in the standings – but now that retirement is on the table, his role has diminished to guest cameo appearances for one of the worst teams in the league.

Over in the NFL, the 40-year-old Peyton Manning lost his starting role with the Denver Broncos late in the regular season because of an injury.

Or was it because he was just playing poorly?

We'll never really know because he found an opening in the regular-season finale, got back on the field and, somehow, led his team to a Super Bowl 50 victory.

It was the worst performance by a quarterback from the winning team in Super Bowl history, but I regress.

The point is that Manning won the title, confirmed his impending retirement and will ride off into the sunset on top.

So the question remains: Go out as a novelty or go out as a winner?

Coincidentally, Bryant was playing in Denver this past week and the Kobe fans had a purple presence inside a sold-out Pepsi Stadium, where the Nuggets play. They cheered his entire 11 minutes on the court as he contributed five points, two rebounds and an assist before he called it a night.

And because Bryant was in Denver, he was asked about Manning and the quarterback's retirement.

“You can’t make these decisions on outside influences or successes or failures,” Bryant said. “It’s a very personal decision, very emotional decision, so you have to make that from within. You can’t cheat the game.”

It appears Bryant is at peace with the inevitable.

He already won his titles – his last came some six years ago – and doesn’t care if his team is at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a meek 13-51 record. It’s only those smiling waves toward the crowd and those cool souvenirs that await before he takes the jersey off for good.

Manning spent his final hours as a professional fighting and clawing against the very best.

And on top of that, he emerged as an NFL champion.

Who is stepping into retirement on a higher stage?

I think it’s an easy call.

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