Los Angeles Lakers superstar and possibly the second greatest shooting guard in the history of basketball has been out since Jan. 21 with a torn right rotator cuff, per NBA.com. He needed season-ending surgery with a recovery time of about nine months, just right at the start of the new NBA season.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told USA Today that the "Black Mamba" is set to return earlier and participate at the Lakers training camp in Hawaii. "My understanding is that he'll be ready for camp. Knowing Kobe, he will try to participate in every practice in camp. But myself and Byron Scott are going to have something to say about that. So I'm sure there will be a practice or two or three where we won't let him practice, but I do expect him to be full bore at camp," Kupchak said.

Kobe is already 37 years old and has played only 41 games in the past two seasons. According to ESPN, he fractured his lateral tibial plateau on his left knee in December 2013. CNN also reported that his body started to show signs of aging when he injured his left Achilles tendon towards the end of the 2012 to 2013 season.

"All I can do is do the work. And do everything I can to be back at the highest level," Bryant told ESPN after injuring his left knee.

Since rupturing his Achilles tendon, Bryant has averaged 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game in 41 games, and shot only a mere 37.3 percent clip. Basketball-Reference.com notes that the Lakers are actually 6.8 points per 100 possessions better with Kobe on the bench.

Kobe is entering his 20th season, and in an interview with Sports Illustrated, Bryant is uncertain if this could be his last season in the league. The 2008 NBA MVP is entering the final season of a two-year, $48.5 million contract he signed in 2013 and is set to earn $25 million next season.

"We haven't set anything in stone and I've talked about it before. But could this be the last season? Absolutely. It's tough to decide. It's really tough to make those types of decisions. Players I have spoken to say, 'Kobe you will know,'" the 17-time All-Star said.

And the five-time NBA champion is feeling good for the upcoming season. "There are no question marks on what I can do. My body and my legs feel extremely strong and healthy. That's the big difference. My upper body, I've been doing the weights and stuff like that. I've been kind of building up the upper body strength. The biggest change is I feel very, very solid in my legs," Bryant added.