Father time gets the better of everyone from time to time. Just this afternoon, I played pickup ball at the local gym and he gave me the business; knees sore, hip sore, back sore, muscles fatigued…and I am no elite athlete.
Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant, however, is.
But, like myself and many other individuals in this world—All-Star athlete or not, time and injury often prevent us from doing what we love most.
For me, I love art—whether drawing or writing—as much as I love basketball, but I occasionally have bouts with wrist pain that make typing or moving a pencil difficult, just as my surgically repaired ACL doesn’t often hold up when I want to play active sports like basketball.
It’s just nature, the older the body gets, the longer recovery takes.
Bryant, who missed the first 19 games of the season while rehabilitating a torn achilles tendon, suffered a fractured lateral tibial plateau in his left knee in just his sixth game back. Since, he has been limited in his ability to play basketball, much less anything else. He has even voiced his frustrations earlier this week in a sit-down interview with Kustoo.com.
It’s progressing slowly. It really tests my patience. There’s only so much you can do, so I find myself relegated to riding the bike. After the first few weeks, it’s cool — you’re getting a good workout. Then third, fourth — I need to do something else. I want to play. I want to run. I want to do something different, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”
The frustration, while still there, may now subside as the team has officially announced that Bryant will be sitting out the remainder of the season.
OFFICIAL: @kobebryant has been declared out for the remainder of the season. Press Release: http://t.co/pCle3khsHT
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 12, 2014
Kobe: “You want to get out there & perform but you’ve got to be realistic.” Realized yesterday that a comeback wasnt in the cards this year.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 12, 2014
Kobe on this year’s struggles: “I probably feel it more than anybody. It drives me absolutely crazy.” pic.twitter.com/3e8p5dBG3x
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 12, 2014
The Lakers team athletic trainer, Gary Vitti, explained that a return this season would be unreasonable.
With Kobe’s injury still not healed, the amount of time he’d need to rehab and be ready to play, and the amount of time remaining in the season, we’ve simply run out of time for him to return.”
“However, Kobe will have the entire offseason to heal, rehab and prepare, and we look forward to him being 100 percent for the start of next season.”
Dr. Robert Klapper, who is orthopedic surgeon and both an ESPN radio host and a Fox Sports analyst, commended Bryant’s decision to focus on healing.
KOBE. Making the right decision!
— Dr. Robert Klapper (@DrRobertKlapper) March 12, 2014
KOBE. The decision to shut down play is NOT an Achilles issue but a RIGHT and LEFT knee one! Protecting the Right is as key as Left
— Dr. Robert Klapper (@DrRobertKlapper) March 12, 2014
Kobe took to Twitter to thank all of his fans and followers for their support as he looks forward to next season.
Thank you for all the support. 7months to get back And answer this challenge #healthy #training #nutrition #bodyarmor
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) March 12, 2014
With over 55,000 minutes logged in NBA game time, not even counting his contributions to USA Basketball in the summers, perhaps a year of rest and rehab is what his 35-year-old body needs to be rejuvenated for the 2014-15 NBA season.
I definitely look forward to seeing him lace up his sneakers next year fully intent on mocking Father Time…
Hopefully, for the sake of all of us fighting the same battle in our every day lives, he does.
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Michael writes the Tweet of the Day for SheridanHoops.com and is also a correspondent for BleacherReport.com. Follow @mbrumagin