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The 34-year-old Lakers star addressed his retirement after practice Tuesday, saying he remained uncertain if he would play beyond his contract that expires after the 2013-14 season.

“We’ll see where it goes,” Bryant said. “It will be a lot of basketball being played.”

Bryant has logged 1,161 regular-season games and 42,377 minutes in his career. He has two years and $58.3 million remaining on his contract and probably would have to take a steep discount to return for an additional season.

What might there be left to play for at that point? One possibility would be catching or surpassing the number of championships won by Michael Jordan, who has six titles on a resume widely considered the best in NBA history.

Bryant has won five championships.

What would it take for him to come back after his contract expires?

“How the hell do I know?” Bryant said. “It’s three years from now.”

– Reported by the Los Angeles Times