Despite dealing with a gruesome injury that could possibly knock him out for a large portion of next season, Kobe Bryant is still hoping to play in next year’s season opener.
Since suffering a torn Achilles tendon in his left leg, the Mamba has had his stitches removed and got out of the cast, and is now about six weeks into his rehabilitation. He told ESPNLosAngeles.com earlier today about making his return next fall:
“That’s the challenge. With the tendon, there’s really only but so much you can do. There’s a certain amount of time that they deem necessary for the tendon to heal where you don’t overstretch it and now you never get that spring back.
“So, you just have to be patient, let the tendon heal, and then when that moment comes when they say, ‘OK, we can take off the regulator so to speak and now it’s on you to train as hard as you can to get back to where you want to be,’ that’s going to be a good day.”
By next fall, Bryant will be 35 years old and entering into his 18th season, the wear and tear of nearly 1,500 NBA games resting on him shoulders. It’s asking a lot for Kobe to be the same All-NBA First Team player he was before the injury. But as he says, that’s the ultimate challenge. If we know anything about Bean, he’ll keep pushing until the wheels fall off.
What do you expect from KB next season?
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