Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant admitted that he's having self-doubts about his return from an Achilles injury during his recent interview with Sports Illustrated.
Bryant is still rehabbing his surgically repaired Achilles heel tendon after tearing it against the Golden State Warriors late in the 2012-13 regular-season.
"I have self-doubt," Bryant told Sports Illustrated. "I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I'm like, 'My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don't have it. I just want to chill.' We all have self-doubt. You don't deny it, but you also don't capitulate to it. You embrace it. You rise above it.
Bryant, who appeared on the cover of the latest issue of Sports Illustrated, said he's indeed facing uncertainty after having major surgery. However, the former NBA MVP assured everyone that he will do his best to stay productive.
"I don't know how I'm going to come back from this injury. I don't know. Maybe I'll be horses---." He pauses, as if envisioning himself as an eighth man. "Then again, maybe I won't, because no matter what, my belief is that I'm going to figure it out. Maybe not this year or even next year, but I'm going to stay with it until I figure it out," added Bryan, who turned 35-years old last August.
The Final Chapter of Mamba
Bryant, who arguably carved out his status as the greatest player to ever wear purple and gold, finally admitted that the final chapter of his stellar basketball career is coming soon. He's very much aware that Father Time looms large in the picture, and his days as a superstar in the NBA are numbered.
"It's The Last Chapter," Bryant says. "The book is going to close. I just haven't determined how many pages are left."
When asked what legacy he will leave behind, Bryant backed off from tackling the issue and instead bragged about his resilience despite facing all kinds of obstacles along the way.
"I'm reflective only in the sense that I learn to move forward," Bryant told Sports Illustrated. "I reflect with a purpose."
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