Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Go ahead and add Charles Barkley to the Kobe Bryant “doubter list.”
I’m very proud to say that I’m not one of them — the Black Mamba will return to the Los Angeles Lakers and be a force to be reckoned with next season. If there is one thing we all know about the Black Mamba, it’s that he will put all doubters and haters to shame. Kobe has immense motivation for next year and every doubter, including Barkley, will fuel his desire to prove everybody wrong.
Last week on the Dan Patrick Show, Barkley said:
“I think he can be a good player. That’s it. Is he going to be an All-Star? He’ll probably be an All-Star because the fans will vote him in. But as far as being a dominant player, that’s not going to happen.”
Bryant vows to return as the player we all know. At age 34, I’m not sure its conceivable, but Bryant’s work ethic and determination surmounts any player in the league today.
Really?? Me. Retire?? Soon, but not yet Vino still has work to do #35 #OG #kbvff
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) May 20, 2013
We can always count on Sir Charles having an opinion — most likely a crazy one. For example, Barkley said that the San Antonio Spurs would sweep the Miami Heat, and we all saw how that played out.
Bryant is looking better by the day. He recently posted a video of him walking with out the crutches on his Instagram account. With offseason finally upon us, the Lakers have many challenges ahead of them: Dwight Howard‘s uncertainty, the aging backcourt, and Bryant’s recovery from his Achilles.
I’m hoping Bryant can return to the Lakers and still be the dominant player we are all accustomed to.
Eric N. Ellington covers the Los Angeles Lakers for Rant Sports. Follow him at @EricNEllington
