This could be the last season of Kobe Bryant’s legendary career. And fortunately for basketball fans across the globe, the 37-year-old will be fully ready to attack it with classic abandon once 2015-16 tips-off in late October.
According to Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report, the Los Angeles Lakers icon has been cleared by doctors to resume basketball activities uninhibited following shoulder surgery last spring.
Bryant’s recovery from his latest devastating late-career injury, a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, is complete—and he currently has no physical limitations as he gears up for what he expects will be his final NBA season.
Bryant has been medically cleared for all basketball activities, according to league sources.
This comes as heartening news considering Bryant’s rash of serious injuries over the past two years. He played just 35 games in 2014-15 before being shut down in January with a torn rotator cuff, and appeared in just six contests the previous season due to a fractured kneecap upon his December return from a ruptured achilles.
It’s hard to remember now, but it wasn’t long ago the future Hall-of-Famer was at something close to the peak of his game. Bryant enjoyed a banner campaign for the star-crossed 2012-2013 Lakers, remaking his playing style with more frequent forays to the paint and a higher share of three-point attempts. The result was a 57.0 true shooting percentage – his best mark since 2007-08 – that coincided with a typically productive season as a scorer.
Those days are long, though, with Bryant sapped of the burst and athleticism that allowed him to perform at a much higher level than his age suggests is possible. And perhaps worse, he’s playing for a Los Angeles squad that has little to no realistic shot to make the playoffs – no matter what its imminently quotable young rookie says.
Bryant’s contract expires at the end of this season, and all momentum indicates that 2015-16 will basically amount to a swan song for one of the greatest players in league history. But he’s yet confirm retirement plans, giving the most optimistic Lakers fans fleeting hopes of seeing their hero wear purple-and-gold beyond next spring.
Regardless, this season is probably Bryant’s final one. And whether you’re a Mamba fan or not, we can surely all agree that it would be awesome to watch him play like the superstar the league will never forget. His first step to doing so, of course, is health, and it appears Kobe finally has it.
Here’s hoping it’s sustainable through the next eight months.
[Via Bleacher Report]
