NBA star Kobe Bryant, 34, has just undergone surgery for a torn Achilles tendon. The diagnosis was confirmed after an MRI of Bryant’s left foot. His Achilles tendon was fully torn. Bryant elected to have the repair done in this manner in order to accelerate his recovery. The surgery was conducted by doctors from the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Group. Bryant will have to stay at the sidelines for nine months at the most and for a minimum of six months. This timetable was confirmed by Gary Vitti, the Lakers trainer.
This season, Bryant is a consistent high scorer with an average of 27.3 points. Bryant is still in fourth place as all-time leading NBA scorer. In the press conference after the game, Kobe was composed and was able to hold back tears. But he later expressed his feelings on his Facebook page at around 3:30 AM Pacific Time.
Injury rant
Bryant went on a lengthy rant on Facebook after he got injured, saying that with one step that he had taken millions of times, all his sacrifice just went out the window. He let out his frustration and anger with a long entry. “Do I have the consistent will to overcome this thing?” he wrote. “Maybe Father Time has defeated me,” he added. Bryant also sent out a tweet saying that he suspected what the nature of the injury was even before he was seen by a doctor.
Later in the more than 300-word Facebook post, he called his upcoming surgery the “First step of a new challenge.” Before signing out he thanked his fans for their love and support. Towards the end of the rant he made a promise to return and said that it is not over yet.
Lakers win
The Los Angeles Lakers guard is currently on his 16th season in the National Basketball Association. Bryant has been exerting tremendous effort this season in order to put the Lakers ahead. In the past games of the Lakers he has been on the court for 40 minutes at a time and did not have a break in a couple of games.
Bryant had to leave the game against the Golden State Warriors due to an injury on Friday with just a little more than three minutes in the fourth quarter left in the game. Bryant reported afterward that he felt a “pop.” He thought that he was kicked by another player (Barnes). Bryant even threw free throws and hit two out of three. He then said goodbye to the game hobbling off the court.
The Lakers won the game (118-116). The Lakers will face the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday and on Wednesday they are up against the Houston Rockets.
Retirement?
Bryant has often discussed the possibility of retiring a number of times this season. Many people are suspecting that he might finally go ahead with the plan after suffering a long-term injury such as this. It is only a matter of time before Bryant himself and the rest of the world knows whether he can play actively again.
Photo Credit: Kobe Bryant
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