Von Miller Tweets He's Going to Use Kobe Bryant as Inspiration for Injury Rehab

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller is looking to the late Kobe Bryant for inspiration as he begins his recovery from a freak ankle injury suffered in practice.

Miller tweeted a photo of Bryant from 2013 when the Lakers star tore his Achilles tendon. 

"'What would Kobe do'? That's exactly what I'm going to do," he wrote.

Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio told ESPN's Jeff Legwold that Miller, who will have surgery to repair an ankle tendon after his injury in practice Sept. 8, is "definitely out for a while." 

Per Legwold, Miller is seeking an opinion from "four or five" doctors on the injury, which typically carries a recovery time of four to six months. 

Miller, who was selected to his sixth consecutive and eighth overall Pro Bowl in 2019, had a disappointing year by his standards. He finished the season with eight sacks after tallying at least 10 every year since 2013. 

The 31-year-old, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 in April, hasn't missed a significant chunk of time since 2013, when he tore his ACL in Week 16 after sitting the first six games of the season with a suspension.

According to ESPN, he had a streak of 95 consecutive games—adding up to 5,251 consecutive defensive snaps—before he sat out Dec. 1, 2019, with a knee injury.  

Malik Reed, who made the team as an undrafted rookie last season, will join veteran Jeremiah Attaochu to fill the hole in the Broncos defense, which ranked 13th in efficacy ratings in last season's 7-9 campaign.