Kobe Bryant plays through everything — broken fingers, ligaments torn in his wrist, tweaked ankles, you name it. The man’s pain tolerance is legendary.
So when you read this comment from the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, you realize just how much Kobe’s knee was bothering him. Here is A-Rod’s quote from the Los Angeles Times.
Yet, Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez told reporters Saturday that Bryant told him the pain in his right knee and ankle felt so overwhelming that he considered retiring. That is, until an innovative procedure in Germany this off-season on both his right knee and left ankle fixed everything.
Bryant “was really adamant about how great the procedure was for him,” Rodriguez told reporters. “I know that he was hurting before, almost even thinking about retirement, that’s how much pain he was under. And then he said after he went to Germany he felt like a 27-year-old again. I was still a little apprehensive about it and he kept staying on me about it.”
Kobe has looked rejuvenated this season, with a bounce in his step that has not had for a few seasons. The problem is the lack of depth on the Lakers means he is playing five more minutes a game than he did last season. That is only going to wear that knee out faster. Mike Brown is stuck between resting Kobe — the only guy on the team who can create his own shot on the perimeter — and losing games. It’s why the Lakers will be active at the trade deadline.
