AT first glance, it looks like Kobe Bryant did USA Basketball a favor by taking his name out of the running for a spot on the U.S. team for the 2016 Rio Olympics. And he did.

    But Bryant also did himself a favor because there was no guarantee USA Basketball’s leadership – chairman Jerry Colangelo and Coach Mike Krzyzewski – would’ve given Bryant one of the 12 spots.

    In November, Bryant said it would “mean the world to me to be around those guys” in Rio, and it initially put USA Basketball in the awkward position of making a difficult decision: put Bryant on the team and take a spot away from a more deserving player or create an awkward situation and tell one of the game’s greatest players and champions that he wasn’t going.

    Bryant had been adamant that he wanted to earn the spot, but it would’ve been difficult to leave him off the team without it being a controversy because of his stature — five-time NBA champ, gold medalist, MVP, global ambassador to the game.

    Bryant closed the issue Saturday when he told reporters in Utah before the Lakers played the Jazz that he would not play in Rio and that he “had my moment.”

    “Since my retirement announcement, I’m able to watch these guys in a different light,” Bryant said. “I’ve come to terms with the fact that they are the future of this game. These are the guys who deserve the spots in Rio. These are the guys who people need to watch and root for. These are the guys to show fans where this game is going in the future.”

    This ensures Bryant’s final basketball game will be in Lakers uniform.

    “I want to walk off the court that last time as Laker,” Bryant said.

    “I already let Jerry and Coach K know that I physically can’t do it,” Bryant added.

    (SD-Agencies)