At Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia, PA, Kobe Bryant left a mark on the high school basketball scene. Bryant led the Aces to their first state championship in 53 years and broke Wilt Chamberlain‘s SE Pennsylvania scoring record along the way.
Bryant also displayed the same toughness and willingness to play through anything that ails him, which has become the stuff of legends during his time in the NBA.
Bryant’s former teammates at Lower Merion have been watching him struggle this season to recover from his injuries. The Los Angeles Daily News’ Mark Medina spoke with some, such as Jermaine Griffin, who believe Bryant will return just as good as last year:
“Father Time catches up with everybody, but Kobe is such a student of the game where he can adapt to any situation […] He’s going to go out there and will come back and be just as good if not better than he was last year. He’s got at least another two years, but if he wants to go longer, he can squeak a few more. But knowing Kobe, this is not the injury that keeps him back.”
While Griffin seems very confident about Bryant’s ability to recover, others, like Evan Monsky, are a little more cautious:
“Even though we’re convinced his body is broken down and done, he still carries that same aura that he can do anything […] If you put a gun to my head, I would say the guy looks 35 years old and he’s coming off an Achilles injury […] But he has created this aura about him that he can do anything. So I wouldn’t count him out.”
Bryant is going to do everything in his power to get back on the floor as quickly as possible for the Lakers. Watching the team struggle the way it has to be killing him.
How he looks when he finally gets back on the court is anyone’s guess, but nobody is willing to doubt Bryant’s ability to do anything.