Kobe Bryant has been medically cleared to return to action for the Los Angeles Lakers, according to BleacherReport.com.
Just over seven months after undergoing surgery for a torn Achilles, Bryant has been cleared to "do anything and everything without restrictions" and plans to return to full-speed practices and five-on-five contact scrimmaging as early as Tuesday.
Bleacher Report adds "it's Bryant call" as to when he will actually seek to return to game action and Bryant plans to be "thorough" in testing his ankle joint and seeing how it responds.
Bryant practiced with the team on a limited basis on Saturday, surprising teammates with just how driven and committed he was in what was originally scheduled to be a light day of practice.
"I thought he wasn't going to go that hard, but he was really pushing it," Jordan Hill told Bleacherreport.com. Bryant previously told reporters "I'm shooting for November, December latest. That's my goal in my head."
With his ankle having been immobilized as long as it has, Bleacherreport adds Bryant realizes he needs to push through all the natural stiffness and regain full range of motion in the ankle.
The Lakers are off 5-7 start in Bryant's absence, as coach Mike D'Antoni has formed a roster more suitable to his uptempo style with the off season signings of Jordan Farmar, Xavier Henry, Wesley Johnson and Nick Young. The Lakers also signed journeyman center Chris Kaman to replace Dwight Howard, who signed with Houston as a free agent.
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