Kobe Bryant says he’s ‘far ahead’ of schedule in terms of rehab

Kobe Bryant said his Achilles’ tendon injury is healing at a faster pace than doctors expected.

“I’m far ahead, far ahead,” Bryant told The Times in an interview Wednesday at his summer camp at UC Santa Barbara. “Surprisingly so, but really ahead of schedule.”

Bryant said he expects to be more aggressive with his conditioning by mid-August, which would put him at four months after his surgery.

“I can shoot, but they’d just rather me not,” Bryant said. “And there’s no reason to rush it, so I’d rather just wait and let the tendon strengthen and completely heal and go from there.”

Bryant said he devotes hours each day to getting his tendon stronger.

“It’s about three hours, sometimes four, depending on the day,” Bryant said. “It consists of weight training manual therapy, modalities, doing the elliptical.”

Bryant is expected to need six to nine months before he can return. If Bryant needs only the minimum six months, he could potentially start playing midway through training camp.

“Feeling good, feel relaxed, feel strong,” Bryant said.

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