Lakers Don’t Want Kobe Bryant To Rush Back


Kobe Bryant said recently that he “shattered” the expected timetable for his recovery, and some in the Lakers’ front office believe he’ll be ready to play in the season opener. But Lakers part owner and executive Jeanie Buss doesn’t want Kobe to rush back and compromise his health. From ESPNLosAngeles.com: “Los Angeles Lakers executive Jeanie Buss wants Kobe Bryant to know one thing: He should be a Laker for life. ‘I want Kobe to take the time that he needs to get healthy,’ Buss said Thursday in a radio interview with ESPNLA 710. ‘I don’t want to see him come back any sooner than when he’s ready, and I know he’ll know when that is. There’s no reason for him to do anything that compromises his health.’ Later, when asked by ESPNLosAngeles.com to expand on that comment, Buss said, ‘Kobe is part of the Laker family and he always will be. There’s not many players who play 18-19 years with the same franchise, and it’s important to us that he has a chance to play his entire career with the Lakers.’ Bryant is recovering from a season-ending Achilles injury. He’s also in the final year of a contract that will pay him $30.5 million this coming season, the most in the NBA.”