Kobe Bryant said in a Los Angeles Lakers roster & rumors update that he is feeling healthy after undergoing several tough practices, and he expressed confidence that they could silence their critics in the 2014-15 NBA season.
Bryant missed all but six games last season after sustaining a knee fracture just as when he is already getting his old form coming off a major surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.
The 16-time All-Star admitted in an interview that sustaining two straight major injuries is very tough for him, but he worked hard to get healthy, reiterating that he is now ready to lead the Lakers again.
"It's a really tough injury, I'm not going to lie," Bryant said in a Los Angeles Lakers Roster & Rumors update via Boston Globe. "There are a lot of things going through your mind when something like that happens. I just went on my grind and just kind of chipped away at it day by day, and I feel pretty good as a result."
Bryant, who averaged 13.8 points to go along with 6.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds last season, is optimistic that the Lakers will bounce back strong after finishing with a disappointing 27-55 record.
The Lakers tried to lure big-name free agents this offseason, but they failed in their bid to acquire stars like Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. Instead, the Lakers got Jeremy Lin in a trade and signed free agents Carlos Boozer and Ed Davis.
While they don't have the best roster in the league, Bryant is optimistic that the Lakers will exceed expectations, pointing out that most players in their team, including him, have something to prove.
"I think we have a lot of guys that have been kind of discarded, been forgotten about," Bryant added in a Los Angeles Lakers Roster & Rumors update. "Myself, with the injury and the age. Jeremy [Lin] and a bunch of players who other teams really felt they had no use for. So, we have that kind of attitude built into ourselves."
The 36-year-old superstar is also excited to play under first-year Lakers coach Byron Scott, saying that both of them agreed that their goal is to win another title for Lakers fans.
"He agrees with me and this Laker organization that we're here for one reason only, and that's to hang championship banners. Not division banners. Not anything else," Bryant said of Scott.
