In what has slowly become an expected outcome, multiple sources are now reporting that Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is soon to be declared out for the season. Bryant went down with a fractured bone in his leg in late December and has progressed very slowly.
After Kevin Ding reported the rumor last night, Chris Broussard mirrored his report today, telling ESPN that Bryant is expected to miss the remainder of the season. It’s not entirely unexpected, as Bryant’s rehab was moving very slowly. The more the Lakers sunk out of playoff contention and higher up the lottery, the more unlikely it was Bryant would return.
As it stands, Bryant will have two more seasons in LA after signing his extension earlier in the season. He certainly will have some sort of hand in recruiting players to Los Angeles this summer as the Lakers look to make a big splash between the draft and free agency.
What will remain to be seen is the status of Bryant come opening night. With essentially a year and a half of limited basketball action under his belt, Bryant will likely have some rust to wear off. Who will be around him next season is another question mark, and one we won’t know until late summer. But what we do know and have come to expect is we’ll have the best version of Bryant possible come next season.