David Ortiz, Steve Nash. Now Kobe Bryant.

Clearly, there is a trend developing. The Players Tribune has become the new outlet for the megastars to announce they are calling it a career.

Ortiz did it with a video on the site. Then last night, Bryant broke the news on The Players Tribune that he will be taking his victory lap this year, assuming he can stay healthy.

Of course, Bryant has more than a passing interest in The Players Tribune. He invested some money in the endeavor and is listed as the editorial director. Soon, he will have plenty of time to vet those stories.

Many other big-name athletes will take note and ask for their agents to arrange for the same set-up with The Players Tribune when it comes time to say goodbye. It is going to become a status thing for them.

Hello, Peyton Manning? The Players Tribune is waiting for your call.

Much will be made of athletes circumventing conventional media by using The Players Tribune as a platform for these announcements. The reality is that they are making it a two-step process.

First the announcement on The Players Tribune. In this case, Bryant wrote a poem. Then the subsequent press conference in which the athlete discusses his retirement.

That’s two days in the news cycle instead of one. Makes plenty of sense from a PR perspective, doesn’t it?