Over the past few months, a lot has been made about the weight loss of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. LeBron got people around the NBA buzzing after dropping some weight and getting around 250 pounds in preparation for the 2014-15 NBA season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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It appears Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant might be going down the same path as his fellow Team USA teammate. GM Mitch Kupchak spoke to the media on Friday to field some questions with media day set to get underway on Monday and talked about Kobe’s weight loss over the last year or so, via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Kupchak says he thinks Kobe Bryant’s dropped 10-12 pounds over last year.
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) September 26, 2014
With it being the trend to slim down in the NBA, it’ll be interesting to see how it impacts players like Kobe, LeBron and Carmelo. LeBron will likely be the one under the microscope with his game thriving due to his size and strength, but Kobe sliming down will be intriguing in terms of how that will alter his approach next season.
As of right now, all reports out of the Lakers practice facility indicate Kobe being healthy and back to form. Obviously, scrimmages against teammates are nothing like going head-to-head up against the best of the best in the NBA on a nightly basis, but that has to be a good sign with the start of the season almost a month away.
Steve Nash has also received rave reviews about the way he’s looked during scrimmages over the past few weeks. If Nash and Bryant are playing at a high level to start the season, the Lakers could end up being better than expected as long as both veterans are able to stay healthy.
[divide]Mitch Kupchak On Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Championship Expectations