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The NBA will lose a legend after the 2015-16 season.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant announced Sunday night he'll retire after this season. The 37-year-old made the announcement in a poem published on The Players Tribune titled "Dear Basketball."

Here's a brief excerpt:

"You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I'll always love you for it.
But I can't love you obsessively for much longer.
This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it's time to say goodbye."

Bryant, who turned 37 before the season began, has been struggling mightily this season. He's averaging just 15.7 points per game while shooting a career-low 32 percent from the floor on a Lakers team that sits at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 2-13 record as of Sunday.

Yet Bryant's recent struggles -- marked by injury issues that limited him to just 41 games over the last two seasons -- hardly take away from his massive list of accomplishments: five NBA championships, 17 All-Star appearances and one NBA MVP award, to name just a few.

Click to read Bryant's full announcement >>

Thumbnail photo via Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports Images