Kobe Bryant missed the second half of Saturday night’s game with “persistent soreness” in his right Achilles tendon. Los Angeles Lakers trainer Gary Vitti has suggested a break of one or two weeks to let the injury heal, per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, but Bryant isn’t having any of it.
The legendary shooting guard is determined to get everything he can out of his farewell tour and says he’ll “give it my best shot” to play Sunday at home against the Houston Rockets.
“Taking two weeks off is not on the menu,” Bryant said, per Medina. “Two weeks is a long time. It doesn’t feel like a two-week injury. I’ve had those before. This doesn’t feel that way.”
Of course, nobody should be surprised at all by Bryant’s viewpoint. He’s never been one to feel comfortable admitting any weakness, and he wants to keep playing competitively as long as he possibly can.
However, it certainly appears he is beginning to understand his limitations. He recently announced his decision to opt out of the 2016 Rio Olympics to pave way for the younger guys coming up.
Bryant finished Saturday’s game with just five points on two-of-eight shooting. His numbers have fallen precipitously in this, his last NBA season. However, nobody will remember it for anything other than what it actually is, his chance to say goodbye.