Well, not at first.
The underlying assumption seemed to be that Kobe would somehow find a way to return to action in the near future, simply because he's invulnerable and couldn't possibly have the same fatal flaw as a notable hero from the Trojan War.
But once the extent of the injury was announced, the panic actually set in. Los Angeles Lakers fans were mortified that their superstar was out for an extended period of time, and NBA fans in general started preparing for the worst.
I can't see behind closed doors, but I'm assuming there was some panic in the league office as well. Kobe is just that much of a superstar.
Well, now it looks like the Mamba is going to beat the odds and return from a devastating injury far sooner than humanly possible. According to B/R's injury expert, Will Carroll, he'll be playing for the Lakers on opening night:
It's important to note that Carroll is speculating here, though. There's still uncertainty surrounding Kobe's return to the lineup, as the Los Angeles Daily News' Mark Medina made clear:
More time has passed in Kobe Bryant’s recovery from a torn left Achilles tendon. But the Lakers star still hasn’t received any clarity as how that will translate when he returns to the basketball court.
‘I don’t know [whether] that means I’ll start the season—I hope so,” Bryant said in a recent interview to Time Out Dubai to promote his upcoming trip there later this month to host a basketball clinic.
When Kobe hopes for something, he usually works pretty darn hard to get it.
An early return would be great news for so many people.
