Kobe Bryant Could Finish Career at the 2016 Rio Olympics

Kobe Bryant could end his basketball career with an Olympic gold medal.

Although Bryant did not attend the USA Basketball minicamp, he can still make it onto the 12-man roster for the 2016 Games, which will be held in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

"[Bryant] also mentioned to me in a private conversation that if he had his druthers, he would love to ride off into the sunset playing one more time and winning the gold medal," Jerry Colangelo, the USA Basketball chairman, said during minicamp on Thursday, reported by ESPN.com. "And that would be the end. But he was very quick to say, 'But, I don't want a spot. I need to earn the spot. I need to be capable of playing at that level to be considered.' And I said, 'You got that. That's always there for you, Kobe.'"

The USA minicamp invited more than 30 talented players to come to Las Vegas. Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyewski insinuated that players must participate if they want to qualify for the Olympics. Now, however, it seems like the door is still open for certain players, such as Bryant and Derrick Rose.

"There's a guy who's made great contributions to the game, again, one of the great players of all time," Colangelo said about Bryant. "He helped us win the gold medal in Beijing. Trust me, he really did. And so he's entitled to an opportunity. I always said you never shut the door entirely on anyone. I mean, why? To prove what? Was I disappointed Derrick wasn't here? Sure. Because, we want the best for him. We want the best for him. We want him to get back to the level that he once was. So let's just see how things go in the future."

With so many good players to choose from, Krzyewski was asked about the selection process.

"You just try to pick the best team," Krzyzewski said. "It's equity [built up from previous participation] as long as the talent from guys who have equity continues to be at that level with the newness of other maturing talented players."

Sheridanhoops.com reported that Colangelo and Bryant started talking about the Olympic games back in June. Bryant, who turns 37 this, has one year left on his contract. Despite earlier reports that he is retiring after the 2015-16 season, Bryant has stated that he will decide on retirement after the season.

If Bryant makes it on the roster, he will become the oldest basketball player to compete for Team U.S. in the Olympics.

Some of the players who went to the Las Vegas minicamp included LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, LaMarcus Aldridge and Chris Paul.