Bryant to miss Lakers' season opener

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Kobe Bryant will miss the Los Angeles Lakers' NBA season opener next week, because he has not fully recovered from right knee surgery in July.

The 6-foot-6 inch shooting guard, who was the NBA's leading scorer last season with a 35.4 points per game average, underwent minor surgery on the knee July 15.

He has limited his playing time during the pre-season to avoid injury before the regular season starts next Tuesday.

The surgery was to clean out loose particles and to alleviate soreness.

"I don't want to push this," Coach Phil Jackson told the Los Angeles Times. "I really want him to be healthy when he comes back."

The surgery caused Bryant to miss the World Basketball Championships.

The Lakers have had a number of players hurt this pre-season. That includes center/forward Kwame Brown (rotator cuff), center Chris Mimh (ankle), forward Brian Cook (ankle), guard Shammond Williams (abdominal muscle) and guard Aaron McKie (back).