Kobe Bryant: What Happens to the Kobe-Copter?

Now that his NBA career is over -- we were wondering ... what's gonna happen to Kobe Bryant's helicopter?

We did some digging -- here's what we found.

First off, Kobe doesn't own the chopper he's been using to get from his home in Orange County to Staples Center -- he rents it ... and has been for years.

But he's got a great relationship with the company that owns it -- and they've always dropped everything for Mamba when he's needed a lift.

In fact, he used it in 2010 to get to the Lakers championship parade -- and in 2012, he fired up the aircraft to help teammate Steve Blake get to a doctor's appointment on time.

Earlier this year, he used the helicopter as transportation for a romantic Valentine's Day afternoon with Vanessa.