Kobe Bryant admits self doubt with recovery, but vows to overcome it

Kobe Bryant fights through pain, rehabs constantly and thrives on overcoming injuries. But even the Lakers star has some concerns on how he will tackle the latest challenge in fully healing his left Achilles tendon and then thriving again on the court.

“As I sit here with you now, I’m telling you now I’ll come back 100 percent,” Bryant said in a recent appearance in China. “But I don’t know if I’m sure. I have moments and days where I doubt myself.”

Bryant may have formed a steely competitive and indestructible persona, but he has opened up on his insecurities. Despite nearly single handedly carrying the Lakers last season before his untimely injury, the team’s season-long struggles prompted Bryant to admit on Twitter that he has some self doubt on whether the struggles will stop.

But just as he did last season, Bryant said he brought up his own skepticism to show how he still doesn’t allow it to derail his optimism and focus.

“The people who say they will never come back from this injury, to me, that says if they had this injury, they would quit,” Bryant said. “That’s what it means to me. If they sit here and look at me and say I can’t do it, that means if it happened to you, you wouldn’t do it. I have to show them just as much as I show people who support me that this can be done and I can come back from this. By me coming back, it shows the people who doubt me to reconsider what’s possible.”

Bryant recently went to Germany to have a procedure on his surgically repaired right knee, and Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni said he hasn’t yet returned to Los Angeles. The Lakers also haven’t offered a timetable on when Bryant will return beyond their initial estimate in April that called for the Lakers star sitting at least six to nine months.

That’s the exciting part of the challenge,” Bryant said. “That’s when I realize this is a great opportunity to come out and show everybody this is how you bounce back and respond to a challenge.”

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@dailynews.com