Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant is the highest paid player in the NBA getting paid $23.5 million in 2014-2015. Reuters

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers admitted to “feeling a mix of emotions” as he enters the 19th season of his long and fruitful NBA career.

The 36-year-old Bryant shared the thought on social media Twitter hours before the Lakers started their NBA Media Day 2014.

Feeling a mix of emotions I haven't felt in 18yrs of being a pro #journey #19th

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) September 29, 2014

It is a rare admission for Kobe Bryant, who in the past has always been confident of his abilities inside the court and has shown while playing or during interviews.

One emotion that could be eating up Kobe Bryant is worry; after all, he’s re-joining a Lakers squad that is pegged to be lottery-bound once again despite a few additions in the 2014 offseason.

Even if the Los Angeles team traded for Jeremy Lin, acquired Carlos Boozer and drafted Julius Randle, the Lakers will still struggle to make the postseason with the presence of high-quality teams in the Western Conference.

Kobe Bryant has an unwavering confidence against anyone but he’s also shrewd enough to know that the likes of the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers are way better than his Hollywood squad.

Then there are the dark horse contenders like the Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies; all of which are better from top to bottom than the Los Angeles Lakers.

The teams mentioned were the playoff squads in last year’s highly competitive Western Playoffs and after them are teams like the Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets, who at some point in the 2013-2014 season were considered playoff contenders.

Another reason that could be putting doubts on Kobe’s head is the fact that he’s coming off a major surgery/injury— the worst in his career. Although Kobe Bryant has said in a number of interviews that he’s 100% healthy and ready for the new season, playing in an actual game— with full contact play on NBA-speed level—- is different from the practice sessions and training.

Kobe Bryant is coming off the worst season in his career (since rookie year) averaging 13.8 points per game but it’s a small sample size considering he played in just six games out of the 82 on schedule no thanks to a knee injury very early in the 2013-2014 season.

Can Kobe Bryant go back to his old form? Will he stay healthy and play the entire 82-game grind of the NBA season? Most importantly, especially for a Kobe Bryant, can he lead the Lakers back to respectability and out of mediocrity in what could be the final two years of his NBA career?

For more NBA News and Kobe Bryant updates, check IBT Sports daily.

RELATED STORIES