Black Mamba Back in Action

Sunday night, Dec. 8, marked the return of LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. Bryant returned from an Achilles injury that put an unexpected early end to Kobe's 2012-13 season.  Bryant, the fierce competitor that he is, swore to be back for most of the 2013-2014 season to help his Lakers to make the play offs after missing them last year.  Fresh off a two-year contract extension worth $48.5 million, signed on Nov. 25, 2013, Bryant returned to action at home Sunday to face the visiting Toronto Raptors.  This year's Lakers team with out Kobe played a lot better, entering Sunday night's game with a 10-8 record.  However, Bryant's return did not result in victory, leaving the team with a 10-9 record.

The Game

As you could imagine, they love Bryant at home, but his play in his first game back looked absolutely rusty.  Going only 2-for-9 from the field, Bryant did manage to contribute eight rebounds and four assists in just under 28 minutes of play time. However, he did commit a game high on either team eight turnovers.  Something that will certainly not continue once Bryant is more comfortable on the court again. Bryant has extremely high standards for himself on the court, but he is aware that returning to his desired level of play is not going to happen in just a couple games. Achilles injuries can be troubling and can make it uncomfortable planting for jump shots or taking off to attack the rim, the very things that make Bryant so deadly on offense.  Given Bryant's intense demeanor and desire to be the best, it might not be too long before he is dropping his usual 20+ points a game.

Kobe's Return Matters Elsewhere

Bryant's return is not solely beneficial to the Lakers.  With him back on the court for the purple and gold, people are more likely to want to see their team when they play on the Lakers.  I know I'll be buying my tickets for when the Sixers take them on because watching Bryant play is truly amazing.  I'm one of many basketball fans that look forward to watching Bryant play live, he is a generational talent and the NBA has to be happy that one of the faces of the NBA is back in action.  With other big name players on the DL such as Derrick Rose, Dewayne Wade, and Marc Gasol, getting Bryant back definitely helps the NBA, and the Lakers of course.  With out Bryant the Lakers are no lock to make the post-season in a tough western conference.  Watching Bryant work to return to peak form will be interesting, he is now 35 years old and does not have too many more years to win a sixth championship. 

---

Cole Miller, from Haddonfield, NJ, is currently a sophomore Sport Management major at Drexel. Over the summer, Cole volunteered for the 43rd SABR convention, a large convention with many speakers and other events for baseball fans who enjoy the new age statistics being brought to baseball such as WAR ( wins above replacement ).   Cole is a huge fan of baseball, specifically the Phillies.

You can connect on Cole on LinkedIn here.