Lakers’ Kobe Bryant Hopes to Return for Next Season’s Opener
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NBA via Los Angeles Lakers(EL SEGUNDO) — With the NBA Finals beginning this week, all Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant can do is watch from his couch as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon in his left leg. Despite the severity of the injury, Bryant doesn’t plan on missing a single game next season.
Even though he’ll be 35 when the 2013-2014 season tips off, Bryant will do what he can to be there for the opening tip-off of game one.
“I hope so,” Bryant told ESPNLosAngeles.com. “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.”
Bryant also stressed that he needs to be patient with his recovery despite his desire to not miss anytime next season.
Towards the end of this past season, Bryant suffered the injury that kept him out of the playoffs. The team wound up getting bounced out of the first round by the eventual Western Conference Champion, the San Antonio Spurs.
Even in his 17th season in the NBA, Bryant was third in the league in scoring.
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