Knicks star F Kristaps Porzingis continues to rehab his way back to the team, and has hopes of returning this season. And he has Kobe Bryant on his side.
As an early Christmas gift, Bryant sent his new book "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play," and added a special message to his autograph.
"Get healthy...kick ass," Bryant wrote to Porzingis, who shared it on his Instagram story.
The Knicks released a statement on Friday, saying the 7-foot-3 Latvian was progressing well since his ACL surgery, and that chance of playing this season is still an option. He will be re-evaluated in February as he continues his regiment.
"Once he reaches the remaining rehab benchmarks, he will advance to on-court team drills and activities. He will be re-evaulated in mid-February," the statement read.
Knicks president Steve Mills added that Porzingis is participating in 1-0 non-contact drills with coaches.
Whether or not Porzingis could play his first game in February, Mills was unsure.
"I don't know," he said, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. "I won't know until after we do these next round of testing. I'm saying we won't know when he will play until we do the next set of testing, which is in mid-February."
As Porzingis works hard to get back on the hardwood, it is always good to have the "Black Mamba" in his corner.