In one of the last games of the NBA regular season for the Los Angeles Lakers, five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon on a move that he’d done thousands of times during his Hall-of-Fame-caliber career in the league. Kobe went down, knew the severity of the injury and hit two free throws to seal the deal for the Lakers against the Golden State Warriors.

Following the disclosure of the Kobe’s torn Achilles, the consensus seemed to be the perennial All-Star was be forced to retire. A torn Achilles tendon is about as bad an injury an aging player like Kobe can sustain on the basketball floor. The recovery time following surgery to repair the tendon is six to nine months and essentially threatens the following season.

Despite Kobe turning 35-years old in August and set to enter his 18^th season in the NBA, the superstar shooting guard has been optimistic about bouncing back from this injury and returning to form as one of the best players in the league. Although a stretch, Kobe believes his return to the floor will come sooner than expected and he’ll be back to dominate as per usual.

Apparently, Kobe is so convinced he’ll be back to form and ready to compete next season that he’s said he wants to play in the league for another two seasons. This statement means Kobe intends on playing past the 2013-14 NBA season and will be ready to sign a one-year deal with the Lakers after next season.

As of right now, the Lakers would love to keep Kobe in a purple and gold uniform for as long as possible, but it remains uncertain whether or not his body will hold up after the worst injury of his career.

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