Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is predicting 35-year-old Kobe Bryant will not be the same player if and when he returns to the Los Angeles Lakers after suffering a torn Achilles tendon last season.
Jabbar, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, also told ProBasketballTalk.com that he sees this as a time of rebuilding for the suddenly undermanned Lakers, who also lost Dwight Howard to Houston in free agency this summer.
"It's a rebuilding year for them because Kobe has been hurting and he has a very devastating type of injury," Jabbar told ProBasketballTalk. "I don't think he will be able to come back as quickly and completely as he would like. It's gonna be tough on the Lakers this year."
Jabbar later added: "When Kobe does come back, it's gonna be a different Kobe and that will definitely affect the outcome for the Lakers long-term. It's gonna be a test for him this year absolutely."
Bryant practiced with the Lakers this week for the first time since being injured on April 12. While not engaging in contact drills, Bryant did some light jogging and went through several shooting drills.
The Lakers, who open the regular season against the cross-town rival Clippers on Oct. 29, have yet to offer an officials timetable for Bryant's return. Prior to Wednesday, Bryant had not so much as jogged without using the team's altered-gravity treadmill.
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