Kobe Bryant dealt with his third consecutive season-ending injury this past season, this time it was a torn rotator cuff. He had surgery in January to correct the issue, but has been unable to take the court since for the Los Angeles Lakers.
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That is now changing as Bryant went on his Instagram page to post a picture of him in the gym, his first time shooting since the surgery:
A photo posted by Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) on
This is great for all Lakers fans to see as everyone is hoping that Kobe will be healthy for his 20th and possibly final season. Any chances the Lakers have of surprising critics and having a good season in the extremely tough Western Conference will hinge on the health of Kobe.
One question that does remain is whether Kobe will be ready when the season kicks off on Oct. 28 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The original estimation was for Kobe to be out around nine months. That would put him right at the opener, but with training camp and preseason kicking off before then, it is unknown how much Kobe will be able to participate.
Kobe getting back in the gym is always a great sign. Since this was an upper body injury, Kobe has been able to work out and keep himself in shape as opposed to when he had knee and Achilles issues the previous couple of seasons. With Kobe getting ready and a new roster around him, anticipation will begin to build again around the Lakers.
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