Kobe Bryant has played just 41 games over the past two seasons due to injury and has one-year left on his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.  If you know Kobe however, you know he wants to go out on his own terms.  Though he’s hinted that this could be his last season, he has refused to confirm that he will retire.  Charles Barkley hopes he does.

Barkley wants this to be Bryant’s last season, he told Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine on SiriusXM NBA Radio (h/t ProBasketballTalk).

“I hope he retires, because I don’t want to see — I probably played two years too long. I hate to see Patrick Ewing, great as he was, struggle — I don’t like seeing great players just out there, you know?” Barkley said. “Michael Jordan playing for the Wizards, that didn’t do anything for me. Kobe’s obviously not going to walk away from $30 million. This should be like a farewell tour, play 20, 25 minutes a night. The Lakers aren’t going to make the playoffs. Could he play some more? Yeah, of course. His best days are behind him. I hear these fools on TV, talking about, ‘Kobe’s going to get healthy.’ Old people don’t get healthy; they die. Old people don’t get healthy. Father Time is undefeated. … You can get in great shape in the summer, because you’re playing against air. Air doesn’t hit back.”

Well damn…

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