Kobe Bryant discusses injury

After missing the beginning of the season due to an Achilles injury, Kobe Bryant lasted just six games before he suffering a fracture in his left knee. The Los Angeles Lakers guard recently discussed the injury during a press conference and said the two issues are not related.

“I don’t think one had anything to do with the other,” said Bryant. “We’ve evaluated it pretty extensively. The fact of the matter is anybody of us can get hurt at any moment. The key for us as athletes is to block that fear out. When you have injuries, that fear is enhanced. You kind of put yourself under a microscope a little bit and start thinking about it too much, when in reality, it could happen to anybody. You have to be able to tune that noise out and be able to perform.”

Bryant did say he was aware of all the comments that his latest injury had prompted, but he said all it would really do is enhance his focus. He also said that self-doubt would not be an issue moving forward.

“Obviously you have the negative side of the injury, but aside from that, I felt like I had some really good questions answered in terms of what I can do on a basketball floor,” said Bryant. “It was kind of like you’re experimenting from game to game and measuring things and trying to figure things out. I felt pretty good about that, which was the biggest question mark. The knee is not really a concern to me. The fracture will heal, but the biggest question mark was how would my Achilles respond to my game, and I felt pretty good about that.”

Bryant plans to be back on the court later this season.

“My philosophy on that stuff is you do your job,” he said. “You owe it to the organization and your teammates to get ready as fast and as quickly as you possibly can and to come back as strong as you possibly can be.”