In an exclusive interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Kobe Bryant talked about numerous things including his progress so far this week. While most anticipated Bryant would make his return this Friday night against the Sacramento Kings, he plans to have another strong workout and Sunday against the Toronto Raptors remains a possibility.
After two practices this week, Bryant has not had any setbacks with his Achilles and is just dealing with typical soreness that any 18-year veteran would be dealing with:
“The Achilles feels pretty good. You know, other than that, dealing with the typical things that a player playing 18 years is going to deal with. Sore here, sore there.”
While the five-time champion thought he was weeks away from a return, he’s now taking it day-by-day and feels very confident that a return is near:
“It feels that way. It feels pretty good. This is the second day now where I’ve been able to get out there and move around and play — and play pretty well. Felt like I could do anything I wanted to do out there on the floor.”
In Tuesday’s practice, Bryant jumped off his right leg for a left-handed dunk. When asked about the dunk, he described it as a “strong layup” and is refusing to jump off his left leg when the media is around for now.
While a return against the Raptors remains a possibility, Kobe will continue to measure his game over the next two days before deciding if he’ll play. With so much optimism from the coaching staff and teammates, the Lakers are looking forward to having their superstar back on the court.
Here is Kobe Bryant’s interview with Dave McMenamin via ESPN: