David Beckham offers retirement advice to Kobe Bryant

Former professional soccer star David Beckham has offered advice to Kobe Bryant on what to do when retirement gets "hard".

After two decades of playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), baller Bryant competed in the last game of his career on Wednesday night (13Apr16), hitting the court for his Los Angeles Lakers team for the final time.

Legendary athlete Beckham officially stepped down from his sport in 2013 and in the years following his retirement, he's learned a few things about what to do when a yearning for the game becomes overwhelming.

"(Retiring is) a hard decision obviously," he told ET Online. "But when you know, you know. It doesn't mean (Kobe's) not going to miss it.

"I knew and I still miss the game. But it's a night to celebrate. What he's done for this town (Los Angeles) and what he's done for the game."

Beckham advises Bryant to lose himself in productive distractions when waves of longing for the sport come up.

"He's got an amazing family, amazing children, so to spend more time with them, I'm sure that's what he's going to be looking forward to," he said. "I'm sure he'll have plenty else going on."

Beckham is father to four children with wife Victoria and Bryant shares two daughters with his spouse of 15 years Vanessa.

Beckham was present at Bryant's final professional basketball game, watching the historic event from the crowd alongside other celebrities such as Jay Z, Jack Nicholson and Kanye West.

Kobe was with the Los Angeles team since he was drafted into the NBA in 1996. His two-year deal with the team included a $25 million payout, making him the NBA's highest-paid player this season.

He has helped win five NBA championships for the Lakers, is a 17-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and is a two-time gold medalist from the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games.