“I was trying to get out and walk,” said Bryant, who was then playing for the Washington Wizards. “They said no.”
He learned not to rush his recovery, which took a bit more than a calendar year. But he never doubted, through even the toughest days, that he’d once again be able to bring high energy and dominate at center for enough stretches to make him a valued contributor.
“I always had the faith, always had the confidence,” he said. “Just pursuing it day in and day out. Never give up. I had full confidence to get back there.”
Bryant wears a bracelet featuring the words “Never Give Up.” He said it’s the favorite catchphrase of his father, Edward. It’s also the philosophy that guided Bryant through his knee rehabilitation and again through thumb surgery in October, a few months after the Lakers signed him to a one-year deal as a free agent.
He lived the motto on that bracelet again on Friday. With the Lakers’ offense out of rhythm late in the second quarter and their hopes of combing back against the Denver Nuggets deflated when they lost Anthony Davis to a right foot injury, Bryant stepped up and became a leader in their 126-108 blowout victory at Crypto.com Arena.
His 21-point performance was a season best and his most productive game since he scored 21 for Washington on Jan. 3, 2021, six days before the knee injury. His nine field goals (in 11 attempts) also represented a season high, and he added six rebounds, one assist and two steals. He brought life and light to a team that urgently needed them — and needed a win to help bury sharp disappointment of their overtime loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
“Thomas, my hat’s off to him. He’s a pro’s pro,” coach Darvin Ham said. “Keeps himself ready, keeps himself right. That’s why we have play groups, stay-ready groups for guys — low-minute or no-minute guys — to continue to stay sharp. And he did that.
“He came out and had a really, really huge effort against a two-time MVP [Nikola Jokic]. Really helped us on both sides of the basketball, just his energy and activity. His no-quit mentality. We needed that. He was a huge burst for us.”
(Jess Rapfogel / Associated Press)
Davis had been playing at a stunningly high level the past few weeks. Losing him for more than a few games would create a huge hole in an already imbalanced lineup. “Arguably he’s been the best player in the league this year,” Austin Reaves said. “You’re never going to replace him with one player. So you’ve got to have multiple guys.”
But performances like Bryant’s offer proof that nothing is impossible — and that giving up should never be an option.
“All that he’s been through with his ACL, he missed a year, to have him do that, it’s inspirational, honestly,” said Reaves, who tied LeBron James for top-scoring honors on Friday with 26 points.
“A lot of guys that have injuries like that never get back to where they want to be, but he puts the work in every single day. You’ll never see him in the gym just chilling. He’s going to be working in the weight room or on the court. Just tip your hat to him. You want to see a guy like that succeed in anything, basketball, off the court, whatever.”
Bryant said he didn’t know Davis was injured. He found out when he was told he’d start the third quarter. “My mindset was just, bring this energy, bring what I can to this team and hopefully it works out the right way, and it did,” he said.
“A lot of guys that have injuries like that never get back to where they want to be, but he puts the work in every single day. You’ll never see him in the gym just chilling. He’s going to be working in the weight room or on the court. Just tip your hat to him.”
— Laker Austin Reaves on teammate Thomas Bryant
His approach has never wavered, even when he wasn’t consistently getting a lot of minutes. Reaves recalled that Bryant didn’t play on Nov. 25 at San Antonio, just a few days after he had played well and scored eight points at Phoenix. Bryant could have sulked on the sideline that night. He didn’t.
“The whole game he was up, cheering, talking, communicating what was seeing,” Reaves said. “You always want to see guys like that be successful. You need guys like that.”
The Lakers will need every bit of Bryant’s resolve — and the same from everyone in their lineup — in the coming weeks. After they play Washington at home Sunday they’ll play seven of eight games on the road, including on Christmas Day at Dallas.
Asked what they can do to minimize the impact if Davis’ absence turns out to be lengthy, Bryant pointed to their performance on Friday as a blueprint.
“The key is our ball movement and communication on the defensive end,” he said. “That really helped us in the second half to get this win out here, moving the ball side to side and communicating on each end of the floor. If we keep doing that, I think we’ll have a lot of success.”
Bryant wouldn’t give up. It’s up to the Lakers to show the same faith and determination.