But a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed that, as was the case leading up to the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign, Bryant has headed to Germany for another round of platelet-rich plasma therapy on the same right knee that ailed him back then. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because the nature of the trip had not been announced by the team.
Bryant was already facing a difficult comeback, and the prospect of his return coming in time for the Oct. 29 regular season opener against the Clippers seemed unlikely. Yet before his Achilles injury that derailed the Lakers' playoff hopes and ultimately led to Dwight Howard's departure to the Houston Rockets as a free agent, Bryant had been extremely productive and looked nothing like a 34-year-old who had logged more regular season minutes all time than all but 13 NBA players (45,390) and another 8,641 in 220 playoff games.
The Achilles and his ability to recover fully from that injury will still dictate what sort of season Bryant and the Lakers have in store. But as it pertains to the knee, history strongly suggests that a trip such as this one will ultimately pay off for one of the league's most durable stars.
