Will Kobe Bryant call it a career or return next season?

For Kobe Bryant, maybe it is, maybe it isn't.

The final pages in the final chapter of his career are being written. What happens on his last page, and when he finally writes it, is his choice.

In October, just before Bryant was to embark on his 20th season, he repeatedly was asked if it would be his last year, either with the Lakers or in the NBA. But he wouldn't spoil the ending. Perhaps he truly didn't, and still doesn't, know. Perhaps he simply didn't want to share. Perhaps he wants to let the story write itself.

"Maybe it is," he said, "maybe it isn't."

Bryant had been 18 years old for just over two months when he hit a free throw at Madison Square Garden for the first point of his career in 1996. It was his only point of the game in three minutes of play.

On Sunday -- more than 19 years and 32,000 points later -- Bryant returns to the Garden, which has been the stage for some of his most memorable performances. It was where Bryant, in 1998, became the youngest All-Star in NBA history, using the platform to challenge Michael Jordan. It was where, in 2009, he scored a then-MSG-record 61 points, leaving the New York crowd serenading him with chants of "MVP!"

Bryant hasn't played at the arena since 2012 because of injury. When he steps onto the Garden court Sunday afternoon, it could be for the final time in his career.

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Bryant scored 18 points Friday night as the Lakers beat the Nets in only his second appearance in Brooklyn.

"You try to appreciate as much as you can," Bryant said of making a potential last stop in New York. "But it still goes by in a flash."

Maybe it will, maybe it won't.

THE LEGEND BEGINS

Long before the gymnasium at Lower Merion High School in a suburb of Philadelphia was called "Bryant Gym," before Bryant's photos hung on the wall, before his sneakers were displayed in its hallways, it was where Kobe Bryant the kid began to evolve into Kobe Bryant the legend. He captured a state championship, he became the all-time leading scorer in the history of Pennsylvania, he caught the eye of general managers throughout the NBA.

They took notice, just as Bryant's high school coach once did.

"I met him when he was in eighth grade and I invited him to our varsity practice," said Gregg Downer, Bryant's basketball coach at Lower Merion. "Five minutes into the practice, I turned to my assistant coaches and said, 'This kid is a pro.' "

A news conference was held inside the gym for Bryant, 17, to announce whether he would forgo college and declare for the 1996 NBA Draft.

Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't.

Bryant stood at a podium, sunglasses resting on his forehead, as cameras rolled and suspense built. "I have decided to skip college," Bryant said, "and take my talent to the NBA."

Yes, that familiar phrase announced the destination of Bryant's talents long before LeBron James used a similar declaration to say he was leaving Cleveland for South Beach. Bryant then showcased that talent in Los Angeles, where he worked out for the Lakers and general manager Jerry West.

"This was a guy playing at a level that high school kids can't play," West said recently. "He was so advanced. We worked him out twice and you say to yourself, well, I don't need to see this guy work out anymore, he's too darn good. Regardless of what his age was, regardless of who he was working out against, he was just so much better than them."

Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't.

Workouts by a 17-year-old, impressive as they may be, hardly guarantee NBA stardom. But West was convinced. So during the NBA Draft in 1996, the Lakers acquired Bryant, the 13th overall pick of the Charlotte Hornets, in exchange for Vlade Divac.

Divac was a serviceable center who went on to play in an All-Star Game. Bryant is the third-leading scorer in NBA history with 32,563 points and the owner of five championship rings.

"We thought he was going to have the potential to be an all-time great when we traded for him," West said. "He was given a gift as a kid, and hard work got him to the point where his career has defined itself by his greatness."

Current Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, a graduate of Brentwood High School, was an assistant under West when Bryant was acquired.

"It's hard to believe it's been 20 years," Kupchak said. "To have a guy of that caliber playing at that All-Star level for all those years is unheard of. You kind of take it for granted. You don't think it will ever end."

Maybe it has, maybe it hasn't.

A SPECIAL PLAYER

Signs of the end, and Bryant's age, certainly are apparent. When Bryant recorded his first career point 19 years ago, current rookie teammate D'Angelo Russell was only eight months old. Both coaches in Sunday's game, Derek Fisher of the Knicks and Byron Scott of the Lakers, are Bryant's former teammates.

Fisher was drafted by the Lakers in 1996, the same night they acquired Bryant. The two won five championships together.

"It was hard to imagine that a young guy from high school could really be great in the NBA," Fisher said Saturday. "It just really wasn't something that we'd seen as the norm. I think it was pretty obvious from the jump that there was something special about him."

Bryant now is 37 and in the second and final year of a $48.5-million contract. Gone is the explosiveness that enabled him to get past defenders and attack the rim at will. Five games into the season, he's averaging 16.2 points and shooting only 32 percent.

He's settling for the three-point shot more than ever, hoisting 7.6 per game, yet making just 21 percent of his attempts.Bryant said this past week that he is the "200th-best player in the league" and was granted a day off from practice because he was angry with himself. His previous three seasons were cut short by injury. The Lakers, who won 21 and 27 games in the previous two seasons, are rebuilding. So what drives Bryant to keep going?

"Cause I love to play, man," he said Friday. "It's as simple as that. When you love something, you'll go through hell for it sometimes."

Bryant's former teammate, Shaquille O'Neal, believes there are other motivating factors. It's not a sixth ring, which would pull Bryant even with Jordan. It's not money. Bryant has career earnings, in NBA salary alone, of nearly $325 million.

"I just think for him to be a Laker his whole career, that drives him," O'Neal said. "He's already passed up Michael Jordan , but knowing the type of guy he is, I could see him trying to pass up Karl Malone . . . Still has a lot left in him and he's going to be taking a lot of shots. That's probably his only motivation at this point, to keep climbing up the charts."

Maybe he can, maybe he can't.

Bryant trails Karl Malone by 4,365 points for second all-time. He needs 5,825 points to break the record held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who attended Bryant's 81-point game in 2006.

"I've seen some pretty awesome displays of his talent," Abdul-Jabbar said. "He ranks up there with the best ever."

Has Abdul-Jabbar ever seen Bryant as a threat for his scoring record?

"I really don't worry about that," he said.

Like Bryant, Abdul-Jabbar reached an age at which his skills were diminished, his role was reduced and his dominance ended. Though it happens to all athletes, it is most glaring with the ones who have been great who find themselves unsure when to walk away.

"You never do know," Abdul-Jabbar said. "How can you tell? It has to be up to his instincts. He may get it right, he may not. Who knows? Kobe is very competitive, very proud and he works hard. I think he wants to go out with people remembering his dominance and his outstanding play."

Maybe he will, maybe he won't.

LAKER FOR LIFE

Bryant's former coach, Phil Jackson -- now president of the Knicks -- declined to comment but suggested before the season that he could see Bryant playing for a different team. Bryant emphatically rejected that notion on Friday, saying he's a Laker for life. Kupchak, though, hinted that this could be Bryant's final season.

"I have no idea," he said. "All I know is that all of my discussions with him have been about this being his last year and we'll cross that bridge once we get there."

Downer, entering his 26th season as coach at Lower Merion, was asked if he believes Bryant will be in the league next season.

"I do not," he said. "I think that he wants to play out this contract and I don't know if he is going to be able to settle for the type of product that he is putting on the floor."

Downer said there has been speculation that Bryant will attempt to earn a third gold medal with the U.S. team during the 2016 Summer Olympics.

"That," Downer said, "may be the way he goes out."

Maybe it should be, maybe it shouldn't.

If it is, Bryant already has received advice about the end of a Hall of Fame career from another recently retired superstar: Derek Jeter.

"We talked," Bryant said Friday. "For him, he obviously knew . We joked a lot because we are so different. His body and where his passion lies, he just felt it was the right time."

Bryant insists he does not want the farewell tour that Jeter received from opposing teams and fans, calling it "an uncomfortable hug.'' But if Friday was any indication -- the Brooklyn crowd chanted "KO-BE! KO-BE!" -- fans will show their appreciation.

"I'd rather enjoy the hostility," Bryant said with a smile. "So it's showing respect for what I've done but showing it that way."

Though Bryant would rather be showered with boos than retirement gifts, it's unlikely that he will encounter a hostile crowd Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Fans recognize the significance of the moment, as does Bryant. Which is why he said he will look around and let the scene soak in.

Because as each game passes, and another page turns, the final chapter of Bryant's career draws closer to its conclusion. "I always try to take a look around," he said. "I always try to kind of embrace the moment and kind of feel the energy of the moment. I always try to make it a point to do that. Is it a little different this time around? Yeah."

Because it's the last time?

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.