The thought was lofted hopefully into the air, and Kobe Bryant swatted it with authority.

Hours after a Big3 co-founder suggested the NBA legend would join the league, Bryant’s camp shot it down.

Molly Carter, the chief marketing officer of Kobe Inc., told the AP that won’t be happening.

That’s a better source than Jeff Kwatinetz had, the co-founder who strongly hinted, two days before Bryant’s 40th birthday, that a basketball return was in the works.

“I did hear from a credible source that Kobe is going to be playing next year. That’s something, but it may be nothing,” Kwatinetz said Tuesday, according to a transcript obtained by Yahoo Sports from the league’s weekly conference call with reporters.

Bryant has been retired since 2016, after 20 seasons with the Lakers — which included 18 All-Star selections, two scoring titles and five NBA championships. The future Hall of Famer would have been a coup for the Big3’s third season. The league, predominantly filled with retired NBA players, features 3-on-3 play in a half-court setting with eight-game seasons.

Since his playing days ended, Bryant entered the entertainment world, recently winning an Oscar for his animated short film “Dear Basketball.”