On April 18, 2013, Kobe Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon during a game against the Golden State Warriors. He limped off the court, but returned to the court to shoot (and make) two free throws with one foot.
It was a feeling of false hope for Los Angeles Lakers fans. He never returned for the 2012-2013 season, including the playoffs, in which the struggling Lakers were swept by the Spurs. It was expected that he would return on the opening night of the next season, but his recovery took longer than expected by the team doctors. Kobe, who usually went through most of his injuries without care in the world, was lost.
December 8, 2013
Kobe returned to the Lakers starting lineup and received a warm welcome from the Lakers crowd. He began to pass the ball first, seemed hesitant, but slowly and steadily his strike began to return to him.
His first shot of the season was, as you guessed, an aerial ball. This stereotype seemed to predict things that will come in the near future. After his return against the Raptors, Kobe played in only five games.
december 17, 2013
When he fought the Grizzlies in Memphis, Kobe fell and immediately began to injure his left knee. Bryant finished the rest of the game, scoring 21 points in just 30 minutes, but the next day, unwanted messages arrived. Team doctors confirmed that he had suffered a broken left knee and that his star player would be out for the rest of the season.
The Achilles tendon could have been the beginning of the end. We have seen over the years how injuries have affected great players like Dominique Wilkins, Brandon Roy, Tracy Mcgrady and Yao Ming.
So what will we see from one of the most decorated players in all of sports?Only time will tell, and there’s not much left for Bryant.
We are starting to see the end of one of the greatest eras in basketball, and that era is ending with Kobe.
