Image via USA TODAY Sports
It took nearly eight months ago, or 239 days, to be exact, but Kobe Bryant is back! Since going down with a torn left Achilles tendon in April, Kobe has gone through the highs and lows of rehabilitation, from expressing his concern over not being the same player when he returns to tracking his progress through social media as he continuously made positive strides towards an eventual comeback.
All those moments led to Friday's Facebook post from the Black Mamba, announcing his return tonight against the Toronto Raptors. The two-minute clip showed a Lakers No. 24 jersey representing Bryant as it weathered the storm and nearly split in half before returning in one piece.
In Kobe's absence, a lot has happened in the world of sports. Derrick Rose made his comeback and landed back on the disabled list, Floyd Matweather set a new all-time purse record for a fight and broke it again a couple months later, and more. Here's 15 Things That Happened in the Sports World Before Kobe Bryant Returned.
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Jay Z helped his first Roc Nation Sports client Robinson Cano receive the third-richest contract in MLB history
Date: 12/6/2013
"Yo, Kob', $48.5 million over two years? That's it?! HAHAHA - Jay
ESPN overlooks Kobe Bryant on their player rankings list
Date: 10/16/2013
This has to be alarming for Kobe. Just a couple months after going down with an Achilles injury, ESPN forgot all about Bryant when they ranked the best players in the league in '13. The Black Mamba ended up being No. 25 on the list and we think Kobe accurately summed up our feelings towards the placement.
Floyd Mayweather set a new purse record only to break it four months later.
Date: 5/4/2013 and 9/14.2013
Following a record $32 million purse for fighting Robert Guerrero in May, Floyd Mayweather returned to ring four months later to take on Canelo Alvarez with a purse of $41.5 million. So, in five-month span, Mayweather earned $73.5 million. Yeah, you're in the wrong profession.
Alabama fell victim to the Sports Illustrated cover curse.
Date: 11/30/2013
With only a few weeks to go before the bowl selection, Alabama seemed like they were headed to their third straight BCS Championship Game. On Nov. 20, Sports Illustrated revealed their latest issue which featured 'Bama quarterback A.J. McCarron and mentioned how the Crimson Tide were "on the brink of a third national title." Ten days later, Auburn's Chris Davis pulled off the play that college football fans will talk about for years to come.
Drake went from rejected by the Heat to accepted by the Raptors.
Date: 6/20/2013 and 9/30/2013
In a true started from the bottom story, Drake went from being denied entry into the Miami Heat locker room after the team won the NBA Finals to becoming the global ambassador of the Toronto Raptors. Now Drizzy doesn't have to worry about getting access in the Air Canada Centre.
Riley Cooper Drops the N-Word Heard 'Round the World
Date: 7/31/2013
At a Kenny Chesney concert, of all places, Riley Cooper drops the N-word and proceeds to get murdered by people on Twitter. If Cooper pulled that at a rap conccert, the response on social media would be the least of his concerns.
Head coach Jason Kidd tried pulling off the soda spill trick.
Date: 11/27/2013
It's not a good look when "accidentally" spilling your drink is the defining moment of your coaching career.
Then, Mike Tomlin tried pulling off a little coaching cheat of his own.
Date: 11/28/2013
After a $100,000 fine and a possible loss of a draft pick or two, this move by Mike Epps is looking more idiotic by the day.
Aaron Hernandez may have killed more than just Odin Lloyd.
Date: 6/13/2013 and 6/18/2013
In the words of LeBron, Hernandez probably killed "not one, not two, not three..." Still too soon?
Mariano Rivera's final game at Yankee Stadium made all of us shed some grown man tears.
Date: 9/27/2013
Yankee fan or not, you know you got a little misty-eyed that night. Don't lie! Where does this rank among the greatest moments in Yankees history?
Anderson Silva lost the UFC Middleweight Championship belt after holding onto it for 2,458 days.
Date: 7/6/2013
A hell of a way to lose the title, huh?
Peyton Manning and Nick Foles became the sixth and seventh quarterback, respectively, to throw seven touchdowns in a game less than two months apart from one another.
Date: 9/5/2013 and 11/3/2013
Meanwhile, it was 44 years between the fifth quarterback on this exclusive list, Joe Kapp, and Manning.
Gareth Bale was sent to Real Madrid in world record $132 million transfer.
Date: 9/1/2013
And people were stressing over Kobe's lucrative deal...
The Alex Rodriguez Show just never ends.
Date: N/A
The lies. The deceit. The drugs. The mudslinging. This shit is better than Scandal, fam!
Derrick Rose made his comeback, but got injured again.
Date: 10/29/2013 and 11/23/2013
Hopefully, Bulls fans enjoyed D-Rose's blink-or-you-missed-it 10-game stint.
