For the third consecutive season, Kobe Bryant suffered a season ending injury. After being diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, Bryant decided to undergo surgery and is expected to be sidelined for nine months.
In a recent podcast with Nike Basketball to talk about his latest signature shoes, Bryant addressed what drives him now in his later years, via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
What is Kobe Bryant playing for now? "Learning, it's always that. That's always been the most fun, is figuring out the puzzle."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) February 3, 2015
Throughout his career, Bryant has earned the reputation as an obsessive winner and ultimate competitor. He remains searching for his sixth NBA championship, but the Los Angeles Lakers need a number of things to happen to be considered legitimate title contenders next season.
Bryant has one more year left on his contract. Despite the long odds for Bryant to win a sixth championship, Bryant remains a student of the game looking for ways to improve his game.
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When Bryant next takes the court, he will have to adjust again with his aging body. Before he went down this year, he was noticeably a different player becoming more of distributor in select games. His scoring numbers and shooting efficiency were all down in his 19th season.
For the Lakers, they will be making adjustments as well without their highest paid player for the remaining of what has been a difficult season. The Lakers are out of the playoff race for the second straight year and are on pace to compile more losses than they did last season.
[divide]Derek Fisher On Lakers, Relationship With Kobe Bryant