Kobe Bryant Injury: Updates on Lakers Star's Soreness and Return

Tim DanielsDec 25, 2014

Kobe Bryant will start Sunday's game versus the Phoenix Suns after the aging superstar sat out the last three.

Continue for updates.

Bryant to Start vs. Phoenix

Bryant out for 3rd Straight Game

Friday, Dec. 26

Mike Trudell of Lakers.com has the latest on Bryant:

Mark Medina of the LA Daily News added more:

Bryant out vs. Bulls

Thursday, Dec. 25

Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding provided the news from Lakers coach Byron Scott:

David Aldridge of NBA.com added more information about his status for Friday against the Dallas Mavericks:

Bryant also missed the Lakers' 115-105 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. He is currently averaging 24.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 27 games.

Bryant and the Lakers had hoped last season was not a sign of things to come. He returned from an Achilles injury in December but ended up playing in just six games and didn't look like his usual dynamic self before going back to the sidelines due to a knee problem.

Instead of bringing him back and risking further injury, Los Angeles opted to keep him out for the rest of the campaign, as it had faded out of the playoff picture.

There was plenty of optimism coming into the new season. Bryant looked healthy during training camp and performed well enough during stretches of the preseason to believe a resurgence was on the horizon.

Bill Oram of the The Orange County Register provided comments from the guard back in October, who was pleased with how his body was holding up.

"This is the healthiest I've been in a couple years," Bryant said. "Three years maybe."

Clearly, the 36-year-old star is being cautious at a time when he is currently averaging 35.4 minutes per game.

The biggest thing with Bryant is that he only has one level of competitiveness. When he steps on the court, he wants to showcase why he's the best player on the floor, even at this stage of his career. And that certainly hasn't changed in his comeback from injury.

So it's a situation where his mind says he can still dominate but his body is fighting back. He has a lot of mileage from all the years of play, which includes playoff runs and international duty. The cumulative effect takes its toll.

The Lakers will likely split his minutes among several players. Nick Young, Wayne Ellington and Jordan Clarkson are among the group of players who should see an increase of playing time.

None of them, nor their combined effort, can come close to what Bryant provides when healthy, though. It leaves the Lakers in a tough spot as they wait for further information about their superstar's status.