Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant says he will play in Thursday night's matchup against the Golden State Warriors, according to Yahoo's Marc J. Spears.
Coach Byron Scott said Wednesday that Lakers trainer Gary Vitti suggested shutting down the 37-year-old for weeks, so it's surprising that Bryant decided to go against the team's advice.
Kobe: "It’s hard for me to say, 'I’m going to shut it down for two weeks.' What if it’s better in two days?"
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) January 15, 2016
Bryant left Tuesday night's contest with a sore Achilles after missing the previous game against the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers guard also suffered an Achilles injury - albeit in the other leg - back in 2013, and was forced to miss the remainder of the season.
Bryant said in December that if he was good enough to walk, he was good enough to play, yet has sat out five games since his retirement announcement.
The Philadelphia native is averaging 17.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists this season, while shooting just 35 percent from the field.
