The Los Angeles Lakers fully expect Kobe Bryant to be “ready” once training camp kicks off a couple of weeks from now.
Talked to Byron Scott yesterday. He said Kobe has been shooting for three weeks and will be ready for training camp.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) September 17, 2015
Scott said he and Kobe recently talked about rumors that he wouldn't be ready for training camp. Scott's quote is pure Kobe…
— Bill Oram (@billoram) September 17, 2015
Byron on Kobe: "He used a couple of words that I can’t repeat that tell me that he will be ready for training camp and we’ll go from there."
— Bill Oram (@billoram) September 17, 2015
Bryant, 37, has reportedly been cleared by his doctors to go full-bore on the court.
The superstar guard, heading into his 20th (and perhaps final) year in the NBA and coming off his third straight season-ending injury, began shooting last month.
Per Bleacher Report:
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.
The common thread in Bryant’s three consecutive season-ending injuries is they’ve mandated him to be patient as much as passionate in his recoveries. That’s not his characteristic strong suit, but Bryant basically had to sit and wait for his fractured tibial plateau to heal completely. Much like his Achilles’ rehab, coming back from this torn rotator cuff is tedious, small-progress stuff. And that’s only after getting through the simple healing stage, when a goal might be keeping your right arm from reflexively moving out from the keyboard to reach for the mouse.
Three weeks ago, Bryant posted an Instagram photo of his smiling face—with the caption “Bout damn time!!”—upon being medically cleared to get back on the court and begin shooting. […] Since then, Bryant has continued to progress and now has no physical restrictions whatsoever. He has always prided himself on beating the medical comeback timetables, and now he’s all the way back ahead of this projected nine-month layoff, too. […] He should be fully healthy for his 20th Los Angeles Lakers training camp, the first practice set for Sept. 29.
