Column: Lakers’ Kobe Bryant confronts his latest, perhaps greatest challenge

The official beginning of The Last Chapter was uncomfortable, unseemly, and undeniably perfect.

At Lakers media day Monday, Kobe Bryant was ushered to the middle of their El Segundo practice court, where dozens of reporters and camera-wielding technicians suffocatingly swarmed him. The interview soon featured the sort of pushing, shoving and sweat that most NBA stars don’t have to endure before their first practice.

At media day in Cleveland last week, LeBron James spoke to reporters from a stage. At media day down the street earlier Monday, the Clippers’ stars spoke from the same sort of stage. Bryant, however, spoke from a scrum, which not only set the tone for this season’s challenge, but offered a glimpse into how he’s going to handle it.

When reporters apologized to him for the difficult conditions, he shrugged.

“I’ve just got to stand here,� he said. “You guys are trampling each other.�

So, fittingly, Bryant begins what could be the final two seasons of his career with a firm stance while his critics fight to stay upright.

You don’t think he can still make a winning impact at age 36 after missing virtually an entire season with two serious leg injuries? You annoy him. You inspire him.

“All the worries and doubt just add fuel,� he said.

You think maybe he’ll take his five NBA titles and $48.5-million contract and do a Derek Jeter ride into the sunset? You are really making him mad now.

“We have a lot of guys on this team who have been discarded, forgotten about, myself with the injury,� he said, then described his feeling as “. . . a mixture of excitement, a little nervousness, a little rage.�

It is a rage directed not only at all the cynics, but at the human frailties that have made him an easy mark for their arrows. He knows his body has reached the sort of mileage where this final comeback will be no simple or sure thing. He knows he will have to prove everyone wrong while toting an increasingly onerous Father Time on his back. He hates it. He embraces it.

“As you get older, you have to accept certain things you can and can’t do,� he said. “There’s strength in that vulnerability.�

That could the first time in his 18 Lakers seasons that he’s used the word “vulnerability.� But notice he used it in the same sentence with the word “strength.�

In other words, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, Kobe Bryant is not going down without a fight.

“I’m trying to see if I can prove to myself that I can be myself,� he said simply.

The Lakers believe he’s not going down at all. The confidence illustrated in the surreal contract extension handed to him by the front office last fall is being echoed now by new Coach Byron Scott, who publicly views Bryant as if he was never injured at all.

“I’m expecting him to play 82 games and play well,� Scott said. “The guy will still have 23-24 points a game.�

Scott laughed and added, “He’s far from retiring.�

Certain things are known. Bryant recently has been playing five-on-five games at the practice facility, and witnesses say he’s been impressive, even reportedly making two game-winning shots in one three-game span.

“I think Kobe can play two to four more years, he looks strong,’’ said Mark Madsen, a Lakers assistant coach and former Bryant teammate who watched the pickup games. “I think Kobe is gong to surprise people. He always surprises people.�

Certain things, however, are unknown. Will his decreased ability to elevate hinder his offense? How will his decreased mobility affect his defense? And, really, can he stay on the court long enough to find out?

Bryant doesn’t buy the offense or health concerns, but does admit to wondering about defense, which he hasn’t really seriously attempted yet.

“I’m looking forward to see how I move my feet defensively, staying in front of guys, chasing guys off picks,� he said. “Offensively, I can dictate, but defensively, I have to react to things. That’s a challenge that I really haven’t had to deal with yet.�

Bryant hasn’t had to deal with several major life issues facing him this season — his basketball mortality, the last loose ends of his legacy — and it will be fascinating to see how he stares it all down. Will he lash out at the failings of what is probably a 40-win team, or will he serve as its calming mentor? Will he fight Scott for minutes and shots, or accept what could be a reduced role and enable teammates into greater prominence? Or, if he really can play 82 games and score 23-24 points a game as Scott predicts, will he be able to pump his fist in joy without wagging his finger in revenge?

“I’m much more patient now . . . I don’t have many of these left, so I bite the bullet and act like I’m enjoying chilling,� he said.

If Monday is any indication, Bryant will make this final attempt in that chilled yet determined fashion, accepting the doubters, embracing the challenge, fighting furiously to find himself while trying to never lose sight of the journey.

It’s a fashion that looks good on him. Let’s hope he keeps it.