Kobe Bryant will make his season debut for the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday against the Toronto Raptorsat Staples Center.
It will mark his first game since tearing his left Achilles nearly eight months ago.
Bryant announced the news by linking to a two-minute video on his Facebook page Friday afternoon. The video showed his No. 24 Lakers uniform floating in the middle of the screen and being battered by the elements — wind, rain, snow, etc.
Eventually the jersey is torn down the middle of the chest, presumably representing the Achilles tear that Bryant suffered, before being repaired with a blinding beam of sunlight.
The video begins with the full-screen title “Seasons of Legend” and ends with “The Legend Continues … December 8.”
The 18-year veteran said Thursday he would “probably” have a reduced amount of playing time when he returns. He averaged 38.6 minutes per game last season.
“Getting your sea legs, it takes some time to do that,” Bryant said. “That’s why we have preseason games and it builds to the regular season. It just takes a while, no matter how much running and conditioning you do, to get out there and play is different. So I’m sure I’ll be limited in some capacity.”