INSTAGRAM: Kobe Bryant Thanks Fans For Support; Sports Arm Sling

On Wednesday, Kobe Bryant underwent surgery on his right shoulder to repair a torn rotator cuff. Bryant will miss the rest of the 2014-15 NBA season as a result of the surgery and still seems to be in high spirits regardless.

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Kobe took to Instagram on Wednesday night to thank fans for all their support. Bryant is seen wearing an arm sling that he’ll have to get used to over the next few months:

Surgery went well! Thank u for your well wishes. Time to finish producing the #musefilm @vanessabryant made me #chickennoodlesoup Kids #frozenplacemats @drinkbodyarmor hydration #kobeinc

A photo posted by Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) on Jan 28, 2015 at 11:09pm PST

Following the surgery on Wednesday, the Lakers revealed Bryant’s expected recovery time. Kobe will need nine months to recover from the shoulder surgery which is exactly the same amount of time it took for him to return after surgery on his ruptured Achilles tendon back in April of 2013.

Although many have begun to speculate if Bryant should simply call it a career, the five-time NBA champion appears determined to return for what will likely be his farewell season in 2015-16.

Lakers Kobe Bryant Out For Season