Kobe Bryant Likely To Start For Lakers In Season Opener

Kobe Bryant has been nursing an ailing foot for the past few weeks, but it likely won’t be enough to keep the guard out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener against the Dallas Mavericks.

As the Los Angeles Times reported, Kobe Bryant says he’s “85 percent” sure that he’ll be on the court tonight for his team’s opening game. Kobe hasn’t played or practiced since suffering a right foot injury in an exhibition game against the Sacramento Kings on October 21.

On Tuesday morning, Kobe Bryant participated in a full shoot-around with the team and said he would re-evaluate the strained foot when he arrived at the Staples Center later in the day.

“It’s just a matter of how sore it gets from now until I get to Staples,” Kobe Bryant said after the shoot-around. “Of course I want to play. We’ve put together a great roster here and I worked real hard this summer to get myself in tip-top shape and be ready to go. I’m not going to play with an injury that’s going to get progressively worse and just limp through the season. I worked too hard for that.”

Last week, Kobe had been listed as day-to-day, ESPN reported.

Until his injury, Kobe Bryant had been playing well in the exhibition season, averaging 20.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 26.8 minutes.

Coming into this season, Kobe Bryant will face some lofty expectations. The team went on a spending spree in the off-season, bringing in Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, making the Lakers the team to beat in the West and a popular prediction to reach the NBA Finals.