Kobe Bryant Getting Ready for Los Angeles Lakers Return Despite Magic Johnson Saying Take Year Off
Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers may have a 14-25 record, but the All-Star veteran guard is pushing his body to return from injury to help his team despite people like Magic Johnson cautioning him not to do so.
Bryant, the 35-year-old Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard, returned to the basketball court in early December 2013 for the first time since having Achilles tendon surgically repaired last April. After injuring his knee which has left him off the court in recent weeks, Bryant has denied that he returned to his professional sport from injury too early.
Magic Johnson, the popular Hall Of Fame Lakers point guard who is fond of Bryant, has insisted that the injured star should stay off the court for the rest of the season and not risk more injury during a losing season.
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"What is he coming back to? He's not going to be able to stop the pick and roll, all the layups the Lakers are giving up," Johnson told The Los Angeles Times recently. "He's been hurt twice, give him the whole year to get healthy."
While it is unclear exactly when the star will make a full return to the court, Bryant does not seem ready to take Johnson's advice.
"If you give yourself wiggle room to not push yourself as hard as you possibly can by thinking 'I'm going to sit out' ... then the motivation's gone, and I refuse to have that happen," he told The Times. "It's my job to be ready."
Still, a dismal season coupled by only being able to contribute to a handful of games has left Bryant feeling detached from the situation. The team's playoff hopes seems distant with its current 14th place in the Western conference.
"It's been very difficult, very frustrating," Bryant said. "I try to detach from it as much as possible. I feel like [I'm] taking ... Bruce Banner, and putting him in the middle of a bar fight and hope he doesn't become the Hulk. That's what I feel like watching these games."
