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Photo Source: The New York Times

The Background

Kobe Bryant is an NBA player that was born on Augest 23, 1978 in Philadeplphia, PA. Unlike the usual NBA player, Kobe got drafted straight out of high school and declared for the NBA draft in 1996, where the Charlotte Bobcats picked him 13th overall. He was then immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant won plenty of awards throughout his basketball career. Listed below are his NBA accomplishments and awards. 

  • NBA Champion (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010)
  • NBA Most Valuable Player (2008)
  • All-NBA First Team (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
  • All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2001)
  • All-NBA Third Team (1999, 2005)
  • All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
  • All-Defensive Second Team (2001, 2002, 2012)
  • NBA All-Star (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
  • NBA Slam Dunk Champion (1997)
  • NBA All-Star MVP (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011)
  • NBA Scoring Champion (2006, 2007)
  • NBA Finals MVP (2009, 2010) 

 

Pre-Injury

On April 12, 2013, The Los Angeles Lakers were going against the Golden State Warriors. This game was major for the Los Angeles Lakers as it was the third-to-last game for the regular season. They needed to win this game so they could advance into the playoffs. Due to the Lakers trying to clinch a spot in the playoffs, they had Kobe Bryant play the entire game. Kobe had a huge setback in the game which was a hyperextended knee early in the 3rd quarter. Despite the injury, Kobe battled through it until the end of the 4th quarter.

The Injury

With 3 minutes and 8 seconds into the 4th quarter, Kobe tried to drive through Harrison Barnes where he then felt a pop in his left ankle and fell onto the ground. Kobe knew that he had torn his achilles tendon but was hoping that he was incorrect. “I was just hoping it wasn’t what I knew it was. I tried to walk it off hoping that the sensation would come back but no such luck.” Kobe said, per Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Kobe’s injury was classified as a Grade 3 rupture of the achillies tendon. Kobe had surgery to repair his tendon and had 6-10 months of rehab. Bryant explained that his leg felt like it was kicked and he thought that he was unable to walk or play without limping. Every basketball player needs their achilles tendon as it is the large strand of the tissue connecting the calf muscles in the leg heel to the bone. Without the achilles tendon, players won’t be able to do everyday activities such as running, jumping or even walking. Despite the injury being absouloutely brutal, Kobe managed to walk to the free throw line, hit both of his free throws, and get escorted to the locker room. That is why everyone wants Kobe’s mentality.

Photo Source: Orthopaedia.com

Post Injury

After Bryant’s surgery, he had to be careful with his leg. Kobe had to control swelling as a certain amount of swelling is good for the body because of the increased blood flow, but large and massive swelling can lead to atrophy of the muscles and cause decreased ability to activate the muscle. Kobe had to keep his achilles tendon in a shortened position because overstretching the tendon would limit him from getting any lift off his foot. Bryant would then need to lightly strengthen his tendon by walking with a full boot with crutches to walking with a normal shoe. Finally, Kobe would have to recondition his entire body due to the lack of physical activity and play basketball from there.