Kobe on overcoming injuries: 'To say it was like climbing Mount Everest is an understatement'

What Kobe Bryant is doing at 36 years old is remarkable. 

No, his Los Angeles Lakers aren't playing well, and yes, Bryant has been inefficient from the field. But he's the leading scorer in the NBA after sustaining a pair of potentially career-altering injuries. 

To get back to the only level he knows how to play at was challenging. Bryant was limited to six games last season after recovering from a ruptured left Achilles and then suffering a fracture in his kneecap shortly after his return.

"To say it was like climbing Mount Everest is an understatement. It was really, really a bear. Really a bear," Bryant told Michael Lee of the Washington Post. "One of those situations, you can’t be driven from outside influences, because it’s such a long process. It has to come from within. And I found beauty in the process of it. I was consumed by little goals. Walking. Then toe raises and I tried to chop it down to small pieces."

Bryant's Lakers take a 5-16 record into Tuesday's game against the Sacramento Kings. The shooting guard is not used to playing on teams this bad. He has won five championships with the Lakers and there's a good chance he'll end up stuck on that number, depending on when he hangs up his sneakers.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak doesn't believe the 19-year veteran will play past the 2015-16 season when his contract expires.

Bryant, for now, is just focused on helping his Lakers dig out of their current hole.

"I'm a true competitor," Bryant said. "When I say that, I mean, when things are difficult, I compete even harder. I don’t run from that. That's not OK. You can't be competitive when things are going well. When things are going bad, you have to be equally competitive, if not more so."

From a personal standpoint, though, Bryant is still getting it done. His 25.3 points per game is tied for the top mark in the NBA, and he's chipping in with 5.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Only two players have logged more total minutes than he has. 

While he's shooting a career-worst 38.9 percent from the field - and taking 2.9 more shots per game than anyone in the league - he's also set to pass Michael Jordan and move into third place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. 

It will be a nice consolation prize if he's unable to match Jordan's six titles.