Kobe Bryant previously hinted that he might decide to retire after his current deal with the Los Angeles Lakers expires, but team president Jeanie Buss has other things in mind.

Bryant, who signed a two-year contract worth $48.5 million in November last year, will be 38 years old when his current deal expires, but Buss said in an interview that she believes the Lakers superstar will still be ready to compete at a high level.

Buss said that she witnessed players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar compete with younger players when the former Laker was already 42 years old. Buss admitted that age is slowly catching up with Bryant, but she reiterated that the 18-year veteran will be ready to prove his doubters wrong.

"I know you can't beat Father Time, but there are those athletes who can transcend the average age of retirement. And if anyone can do that, my money is on the Black Mamba," Buss said via USA Today.

The Lakers drew flak when they offered a lucrative deal to Bryant last season, which hurt their chances of making big splash on the free agency market during the offseason.

Hall of Famer Michael Jordan said in an interview with Sporting News that the move hurt the Lakers' chances of making big moves, but the Charlotte Hornets owner said that he can't blame Bryant for taking the contract.

"They could easily give him a different scenario and Kobe could make his choice from that standpoint," Jordan said. "It's easy to criticize where we sit, and you don't know all the dynamics of why or what the opportunities were for him. I'm not going to criticize him for taking advantage of the opportunity presented to him."

When asked about the contract signed by Bryant, Buss said that she did not have a hand on it, but she reiterated that she is convinced that they made the right move.

"Absolutely," Buss said when asked if she supported their team's decision to offer a lucrative contract to the 36-year-old superstar. "Kobe is worth every penny, and I'd never had any doubt that he'd contribute to this team. We have a (salary) cap, but we also have a (salary) floor, and you do have to spend it."

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