In less than a month, Kobe Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, league MVP, and the third most prolific  scorer in league history, is retiring. This isn’t just the end of a great basketball player’s career, but it marks the end of a generation.

I was never a fan of  the Los Angeles Lakers or Bryant, but I do know the impact that Bryant has had on the game of basketball as a whole. For  fans who were not old enough to have witnessed the greatness that was Michael Jordan, we were lucky enough to see an encore of such a performance in Kobe. Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant said it best, “He was our Michael Jordan.”

Kobe is leaving behind a legacy that no one in the next 20 years can reach. From his insane scoring streaks to the influence he brought to the world as a player, Bryant will always be ingrained into the minds of not just basketball fans, but millions around the globe.

Now, it should come to no surprise that Bryant is retiring this year. The man is 37 years old and has been in the league for 19 seasons. In NBA history, only Kevin Willis, legends Robert Parish and Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, and active Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett have played more seasons than Bryant. In the past three years, Bryant has also faced three season ending injuries with an Achilles tear in 2013, a fractured left knee in 2014, and a rotator cuff tear in 2015.

Yet, fans won’t be remembering the Kobe that struggled through the injuries. We will be remembering the Black Mamba that scored 81 points in one game and brought five titles to the Lakers. We’ll be telling our kids of how a man with a torn Achilles stood up and finished off two free throws. We’ll be thinking about that cocky 17-year old from Lower Merion High School who  matured into the second greatest shooting guard of all time.

With Bryant on his way out, other players of this magnificent generation are on the brink of retiring as well. San Antonio Spurs legend and fountain of youth drinker Tim Duncan is still finding ways to compete at the highest level possible. Duncan is in his eighteenth season and he is averaging career lows of eight points and seven rebounds, but he has also led his team to second place in the NBA with a record of 57-10.

The other two members of Duncan and Kobe’s group are Dirk Nowitzki and Garnett.

Nowitzki has been renowned as the greatest European player in the history of the league and is number six on the all-time scoring list. At 37, Dirk seems to have taken the Tim Duncan route as he leads the Dallas Mavericks in points and perhaps another playoff berth.

Garnett has become least active of these four, not even starting for the Minnesota Timberwolves. But, the T-Wolves are not using Garnett for his physical gifts. They are actually using him for his leadership and wisdom to lead the younger players on the team, which has proven to be successful. Just take a look at rookie power forward Karl-Anthony Towns, who is averaging a double-double already.

While Kobe may be the only one to retire this year, Duncan, Nowitzki, and Garnett will retire in the next year or two. With the loss of these four legends, the NBA will never be the same.