The Los Angeles Lakers may have been without Kobe Bryant for their pre-season game against the Portland Trail Blazers, but according to reports, Bryant will suit up for the next match.
Bryant sat out the game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a right shoulder strain and is listed day-to-day. Although the setback does not seems too serious, the Lakers took precautionary measures and had Kobe sit on the bench for the Blazers games.
However, Bryant is not willing to miss two games in a row and the Los Angeles Times reported that Kobe will indeed play in the Lakers’ next pre-season game against the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
Kobe Bryant says he’ll play Saturday against Utah lat.ms/Ry4Wqa
— LA Lakers @ LA Times (@latimeslakers) October 11, 2012
Bryant did play in the Lakers’ pre-season opener versus the Golden State Warriors, and even though they got beaten badly, it was nice to see Kobe back on the court. The pre-season offers players to get back into basketball shape and get accustomed to their new teammates.
Kobe will likely not get a lot of minutes on Sunday, but after a long off-season, any court time will be beneficial.