Kobe Bryant is struggling big time this season and former NBA superstar Charles Barkley believes it is time for the Los Angeles Lakers icon to call it quits.
Bryant, who is playing in his 20th year in the league this season, averaged 15.2 points in their first 11 games but is shooting just 31.1 percent from the field, including a humbling 19.5 percent clip from beyond the arc.
During their 111-77 blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Bryant was a shadow of his old self -- the player who torched the league with his scoring prowess -- as he finished with just four points on 1-for-14 shooting from the field in 25 minutes of playing time.
When asked during an interview with Los Angeles Times if Bryant should retire after the current season, Barkley had a clear take: "Oh, yeah, this definitely should be it. To me, this is like a farewell tour."
Barkley pointed out that Bryant is playing like himself, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Karl Malone during their respective final seasons in the league. The former All-Star admitted that all of them had bad endings to their respective Hall of Fame careers because their body is not responding well to their desire to play at a high level.
"Somebody asked me how I knew it was time to retire," Barkley added. "I said because I was pump-faking. So now I see Kobe and he's pump-faking because he's scared they are going to block his shot. That's what the pump-faking is. People are knocking your shot into the stands. Kobe can't get open shots. He can't go around people to get layups."
A Western Conference team player, whose named was not divulged in the report, also had the same take. He said that the 38-year-old Bryant is not even close to the Kobe Bryant, who once scored 81 points in a single game and averaged 35.4 points in a season.
"I've seen him play and it's disgusting," the player said. "He's one of the best of all time. But he really hasn't played that much in the last two or three years. He's got nothing left. It's sad to watch because he used to be so great, and I mean great."
Bryant was slowed down by injuries over the past several seasons. He sustained a torn Achilles tendon in before the 2013 NBA Playoffs. He returned the following season, but was limited to just six games after hurting his knee. Last season, he also suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
