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Lakers rest Kobe Bryant vs. Heat

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Dwyane Wade's final battle with Kobe Bryant will have to wait.

The Los Angeles Lakers will sit the 37-year-old for Tuesday's clash in South Beach, reports Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.

Bryant is the first guard in NBA history to play 20 seasons in the league, and given his advanced age and his disappointing start to the season, resting him on the first night of a back to back makes perfect sense.

Through six games this season, Bryant is averaging 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting airball after airball en route to a ghastly field-goal percentage of 32 percent on the year.

His poor shooting hasn't stopped him from using 28.7 percent of the Lakers' possessions, however.

As for his performance, there's the mitigating factor of Bryant's recovery from a torn rotator cuff, but all in all, it's become quite clear that the 17-time All-Star is on his last legs. To his credit, Bryant has not made any excuses for his struggles and openly stated Saturday that retirement is a real possibility after the 2015-16 season.

Another greybeard in Metta World Peace will draw the start in Bryant's place, Bresnahan notes.

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