Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant spoke on Monday to ESPN about his injury, Dwight Howard, how he compares to Michael Jordan and his inevitable retirement.
Bryant, who tore his Achilles tendon in April, is now six weeks removed from surgery. He removed his medical boot last week and posted a picture of himself walking on a treadmill in special "medical mamba" shoes. It's a positive step in Bryant's rehabilitation, and he is aiming to return for the 2013-14 season opener.
"I hope so," Bryant told ESPN when asked if he'll be ready for the first game. "That's the challenge. With the tendon, there's really only but so much you can do. There's a certain amount of time that they deem necessary for the tendon to heal where you don't overstretch it and now you never get that spring back.
"So you just have to be patient, let the tendon heal, and then when that moments comes when they say, 'OK, we can take off the regulator so to speak and now it's on you to train as hard as you can to get back to where you want to be,' that's going to be a good day."
Dwight Howard was also a topic in Bryant's interview. The All-Star center becomes a free agent on July 1 and can begin fielding offers from other teams. The Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks have generated the most buzz in recent weeks, but Bryant isn't worried about trying to get the first word in.
"For me, you kind of let him do his due diligence and then move in and talk to him and figure out if this is a place where he wants to be," Bryant said. "We all want him here. But then that's when the selling begins [after Howard is courted by other teams]. You don't start the selling process right before he goes and does all this stuff. You want to get the last word. You want to have the final word and the closing argument.
"I'll give him a little opening statement, but then I have to make sure I have the final word."
Bryant took time to talk about Michael Jordan, too. Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson made headlines in May when he compared Jordan with Bryant. Jackson, who won 6 rings with Jordan and 5 with Bryant, said that Jordan was a more consistent scorer and a more team-oriented player. Bryant, however, found it hard to compare himself with Jordan.
"We both had different roles, and [Jordan] had his level of frustration coming up as a young player and challenges that he had to deal with, and I had mine in playing a different role to what I thought naturally I could do. We had different career paths, man, so it's kind of tough to [compare]. At least for me it is, anyway."
Finally, Bryant spoke about his inevitable retirement. The 34-year-old guard is in the final year of his contract, and it's uncertain whether he'll return after next season. While he was mum about what the future holds, he did say not to expect a retirement announcement before his final season.
"I don't know if I want a farewell tour because I want that competition," Bryant said. "I want the crowd being on top of you all the time. I wouldn't want a farewell tour. No. I wouldn't do that."
