Kobe Close to Surgery

Kobe Bryant will have surgery on his right shoulder in the next week or two, according to those familiar with the Laker guard’s plans, and he expects to be recovered in time for training camp.

That probably means Bryant will be unable to participate in the Olympic qualifying tournament this summer in Puerto Rico, though his place on the 2004 Olympic team is secure.

Bryant tore his right labrum on a dunk during the Lakers’ first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played 10 more games with the injury. Team medical personnel suspected the tear, but Bryant resisted tests until last week, when an MRI confirmed it.

Bryant was considering seeking second opinions from specialists in New York and Houston, and it is believed he was in New York over the weekend.

Doctors have told him his recovery should not linger into next season.

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Forward Rick Fox, who had surgery to repair a tendon in his left foot, will be in a cast for three more weeks and then wear a walking cast for five weeks.