Kobe Bryant leaves the country for undisclosed medical procedure Kobe Bryant answers questions during the Lakers' media day Sept. By Mike Bresnahan October 3, 2013, 1:26 p.m. Kobe Bryant left the country to have an undisclosed medical procedure, the Lakers said Thursday. The team did not divulge more details, other than Bryant would return in a few days and the procedure was not related to the torn Achilles' tendon he sustained last April. Lakers Coach Mike D'Antoni declined to provide much insight, other than to say the procedure was planned and not a "big deal." "He knew he had time because he's not getting on the court yet," D'Antoni said Thursday. I don't think it caught anybody by surprise. Instead of doing it in August, he's doing it now. There's no concern whatsoever. Bryant made headlines in 2011 when he went to Germany twice for an innovative procedure on his chronically sore right knee and a sore left ankle that troubled him at the time. The procedure, called "Orthokine," targets proteins or molecules that cause inflammatory responses. Blood is removed from the affected area of a patient and spun in a centrifuge. Antagonists are then removed to create a serum that is injected back into the targeted area. Bryant, 35, has been gradually recovering from his Achilles' injury and subsequent surgery. He shot on the court Wednesday but had not been cleared for running or jumping. The Lakers have been reluctant to provide a timetable on Bryant's exact return from his Achilles' injury other than the initial one provided in mid-April, which said he would be back in six to nine months. Kobe Bryant has third-most popular NBA jersey worldwide Stan Van Gundy advised Dwight Howard to leave Lakers for Rockets