There’s an old saying in the hoops world: If you can’t beat a German baller in the playoffs then go to his homeland to undergo an experimental procedure on your knee…or something like that.
The L.A. Times reports that is exactly what Kobe Bryant did last month after the unceremonious ending to the season. The article cites four people with knowledge of the situation who claim Kobe went to Germany to undergo an emerging form of therapy known as platelet-rich plasma.
Kobe is far from the first to undergo this form of treatment. Others that have sought PRP treatment include Hines Ward, Tiger Woods, Rafael Nadal and Brandon Roy. However Bryant is giving the procedure the Mike Brown treatment as he has yet to publicly acknowledge it.
As of now there is nothing conclusive that proves PRP does truly work. However as a surgery alternative it gives Bryant the opportunity to get some help for the knee without any setbacks to his off-season training.
I won’t even attempt to play doctor on this one. Hopefully Kobe will see better results than Roy and Woods have. I’ll allow Broderick Turner to explain the procedure as well.
"A small amount of blood is drawn from the patient’s arm and spun in a centrifuge for about 20 minutes to isolate platelets. With guidance from ultrasound, the platelets are then injected into the injured area to try to stimulate tissue repair."
Clearly Kobe’s knee is becoming the elephant in the room. We know all too well what happened last season when KB24 wasn’t able to be at full strength for the season. His inability to practice on a regular basis had a trickle down effect that was exposed by Dallas. No telling if the PRP therapy will have the desired outcome for Bryant but you get the feeling he’s not interested in undergoing anymore surgeries unless absolutely necessary.