Kobe Bryant Ready for Training Camp

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant is about a month ahead of schedule with his rehab after suffering a torn right rotator cuff last season.

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The “Black Mamba” was medically cleared to participate in all basketball activities on Thursday, according to Bleacher Report.

Bryant was initially expected to miss the start of September’s training camp and the entire pre-season before potentially returning sometime in November.

However, that is not the case, and Bryant has been getting up shots in the gym for the past three weeks. Bryant looks to embark on his 20th and perhaps final season without physical limitations.

Bryant experienced the injury following a successful dunk late in the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 21, 2015. In typical “Black Mamba” fashion, Bryant finished the game and downplayed the significance of the injury.

Head coach Byron Scott had some encouraging words for Lakers fan regarding Bryant’s right shoulder.

Per Orange County Register:

"Full range of motion. He’s been shooting for the past three weeks, he says he feels fantastic, our last conversation was more of how he felt and he said he feels great. We also talked about everybody saying he wouldn’t be ready for training camp, he wouldn’t ready until November. Stuff like that. He used a couple of words that I can’t repeat that tells me that he will be ready for training camp and we’ll go from there."

It appears as though Bryant is more than ready for the 2015-16 season to get underway and prove the doubters wrong one more time.

The Lakers put together a respectable roster in the off-season, and it will be interesting to see what Bryant does with it. General Manager Mitch Kupchak acquired Roy Hibbert via trade and signed the reigning Sixth man of the Year Lou Williams.

Oct 16, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) and coach Byron Scott during the game against the Utah Jazz at the Honda Center. The Jazz defeated the Lakers 119-86. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The No. 2 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, D’Angelo Russell, figures to fit in nicely alongside Jordan Clarkson, the team’s lone bright spot last season, in the backcourt.

Julius Randle, the No. 6 pick in the 2014 Draft, is returning from a broken right leg he suffered on opening night, and Brandon Bass expects to fit into the equation at the four.

The Lakers are not expected to make the playoffs, but the team is highly motivated to make a statement. Bryant is no longer expected to carry the load, but the “Black Mamba” is still, unquestionably, the leader of the Lakers franchise.

Bryant averaged 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists before his third straight season-ending injury reduced him to 35 games last season.

Next: Steve Nash: The Nightmare That Won't Stop

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