Kobe Bryant announces via Facebook that he will return to Lakers on Sunday vs. Raptors (Ball...

[Yahoo! Sports - NBA -]

After raising the possibility earlier this week , Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers made it official on Friday afternoon — Bryant will return to the L.A. lineup this Sunday night against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center, just under eight months after suffering a torn left Achilles tendon . Bryant and the Lakers made the announcement via Facebook with this must-be-seen-to-be-believed video: (Bonus points for subtlety, gang.) The clip ostensibly positions Kobe as a literal superhero — seriously, this feels like the "Man of Steel" trailer or something — able to withstand all manner of battering, bruising and tearing ( get it? ) and come back whole, renewed, a bright-shining beacon, a guardian in gold trimmed with purple. Through the changing of the seasons, through each and every era, there's just one constant; he wears No. 24, he'll be here for another couple of years , and he's coming back against that team he once legendarily torched to the tune of 81. All that's missing is a cape. Or, better yet, a mask . The announcement came hours after Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni sort of spilled the beans at a shootaround session before L.A. takes on the Sacramento Kings on Friday night : D'Antoni quickly backtracked after putting Sunday Kobe odds at "pretty good." Said: "I just opened up a can of worms." — Bill Oram (@bill_oram) December 6, 2013 The return will come three weeks after Bryant was cleared to resume basketball activities and return to practice , and 240 days after rupturing his Achilles during an April 12 meeting with the Golden State Warriors. As ESPN.com's Marc Stein notes , that's 43 days fewer than Dominique Wilkins, who suffered a torn Achilles on Jan. 28, 1992, and returned on Nov. 6, 1992. And despite Bryant's claims that he had "shattered" the recovery timeline for Achilles injuries, this actually falls right in line with the initial post-surgery estimate of six to nine months. - - - - - - - Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YourManDevine Stay connected with Ball Don't Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL , "Like" BDL on Facebook and follow BDL's Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.

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