Initially, after Kobe Bryant went down with a knee fracture, the expected time missed for the perennial All-Star was six weeks. With that being said, Bryant’s return would be Jan. 28 against the visiting Indiana Pacers.
Bryant getting back on the floor against arguably one of the best teams in the league in only a few weeks time is a realistic return date. There’s still a lot of rehab to go through, but Bryant won’t let that stop him getting back on the floor as soon as possible.
Despite only playing in six games this season, Bryant leads the way in the All-Star voting for backcourt players with Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers trailing the future Hall of Famer.
Before Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, Bryant let it be known that he wants the fans to vote for other players like the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard for the All-Star game via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Kobe's advice to those voting for the All-Star game was to vote for some of the younger players
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) January 6, 2014
Kobe didn't make it sound like he'd be ready to compete at a high enough level by the All-Star game where he could put a stamp on the game
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) January 6, 2014
The All-Star Game will be played on Feb. 16 at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. Bryant obviously doesn’t feel confident he’ll be playing at a high level at that point in time and playing only six games up to this point doesn’t exactly merit an All-Star selection.
Bryant will still get selected regardless of his wishes for other players to get selected, but it was a classy move to suggested others being more deserving.
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