Over the weekend, Kobe Bryant watched the Confederations Cup between Brazil and his home away from home, Italy.
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During his time in Brazil, Bryant also spent some time with ESPN Brazil to discuss numerous topics, which included his progress with the season-ending Achilles tendon rupture, personal doubts after sustaining the injury and how he’d like to retire. Here is the video, courtesy of KB824Legend (h/t BallIsLife.com):
http://youtu.be/8DEDw3KYkkI
When asked about his recovery, Kobe is very pleased about the progress he’s made so far:
“It’s going well. I’m pretty much two months out of surgery and I’m walking and I can get up on my toes, so I’m pleased with how it’s going.”
Bryant was also asked about having any personal doubts and the possibility of not returning as the same player. He was initially discouraged but is now determined to prove everyone wrong:
“I think that you have to allow yourself to think that because it keeps you on edge. It keeps you motivated and it keeps you strong. For me, once I started hearing everyone say ‘Well, maybe this is it’ or ‘Maybe this is too much,’ that’s what gave me the determination to see if I can prove them wrong.”
The reporter made a comparison between Bryant and Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees and how they are the type of athletes who refuse to let injuries force them to retire. Bryant agreed saying that anything can happen, but he wants to go out on his own terms:
“Not if I can help it. You want to go out on your own terms. You don’t want to be forced out of the game because of an injury. You want to be able to say, ‘This is the game I love to play. I’ve played for so many years. I’ve been very blessed to play for this long.’ And you want to feel like when you’re leaving the game, you’re leaving because you want to.”
There’s obviously people who feel that Kobe won’t be able to return at a high-level after this season-ending Achilles tendon rupture. After watching this interview, it should be clear that Bryant isn’t done yet, and he’s doing everything possible to make sure that he can go out on his own terms.
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