Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has been recovering from a serious Achilles injury and while working on his recovery he had time to travel to South America to check out the Italy vs. Brazil Confederations Cup matchup and he also found time to consult with superstar David Beckham about his injury.
According to ESPN.com, Bryant was in the stands for the game on Saturday and got to watch Brazil win 4-2 over Italy in the Confederations Cup at Arena Fonte Nova and now they are the top team in Group A. Mario Balotelli was all over the place for Italy and Neymar went head to head with him throughout the game as Italy scored its first goal from Emanuele Giaccherini at the 51st minute. The game in Salvador was an exciting matchup and played out over the backdrop of massive protests in the country over the future World Cup and Olympic Games.
Bryant also had time to get advice from David Beckham, as he consulted the star for issues regarding his Achilles injury, which he suffered in April against the Golden State Warriors. He is facing a decent recovery and Bryant said he spoke to Beckham for a while about it after he suffered the same injury back in 2010, but even at a similar age it did not keep him from returning.
"Becks and I have grown to be pretty close since he's been playing in Los Angeles for [the Galaxy] the last five years," said Bryant in a video interview with ESPN.com.br on Friday while vacationing in Brazil (link in Portuguese).
"He and I talked for quite a bit about his process, and his recovery," Kobe said. "He hasn't had any issues with it since. He's won several championships since the injury, so I'm pretty encouraged by that."
