By Craig Fields
So I am pretty sure that if you are an avid or even recreational watcher of the NBA, then chances are you have heard about Kobe Bryant tearing his Achilles tendon last season. Originally, this injury was said to take 6-9 months to heal completely. With this injury and surgery to repair this injury taking place in April, being ready by opening night seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream.
Now after vigorous rehabilitation, it seems that Kobe may be on track to possibly come back in the preseason. After claiming to have “shattered the recovery timetable” for Achilles injuries, the 34 year old superstar is up walking around and preparing for nothing short of a miraculous return.
According to Kobe, “The surgical procedure was different […] and because of that the recovery has been different,’ [Kobe] Bryant said in China in the southern city of Shenzhen. ‘The normal timetable for recovery from an Achilles, we’ve shattered that. Three-and-a-half months I can already walk just fine, I’m lifting weights with the Achilles just fine and that’s different. So we don’t know what that timetable is going to be. It’s kind of new territory for us all.”
Well if we needed any more proof that this guy is a freak of nature, there it is. However, even though Kobe might want to push the envelope, Jeanie Buss, the executive vice president of business operations for the Lakers said, “I want Kobe to take the time that he needs to get healthy. I don’t want to see him come back any sooner than when he’s ready.”
Dr. Robert Klapper, one of the doctors instrumental in repairing Kobe’s Achilles tendon, twitted, “KOBE at this point is 3 months ahead of schedule! He will shatter the rehab record book for Achilles Surgery Recovery”.
What all of this boils down to is that this guy is relentless and will do whatever it takes to come back. Of course we would expect no less from a five time NBA champion who plays for one of the most storied franchises in NBA history. One thing that is certain, is that if Bryant does step onto the court on opening night ready to play, the night will be electric and that much more entertaining.
