SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Kobe Bryant will make his long-awaited return from a torn left Achilles tendon when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. In a dramatic video posted on his Facebook page before the Lakers played at Sacramento on Friday night, Bryant set his much-anticipated comeback date. The video, which was also uploaded to the teams Facebook page, was titled: "Seasons of Legend. Lakers announce Kobes return." The video shows Bryants No. 24 jersey flapping in the wind. There is rain, sleet, snow and lightning for nearly 2 minutes. At one point, his jersey tears. Sunshine breaks through the clouds, and the video fades to black. Finally, words flash across the screen that read, "The Legend Continues...December 8." "Thats something special right there," Lakers teammate Nick Young quipped when a reporter showed him the video on his smartphone in the locker room. How effective Bryant will be against top-tier competition is the last lingering question in his return. Lakers coach Mike DAntoni said Bryant will likely be eased back into the lineup, though he declined to discuss how many minutes he will play in his first game. Asked what his expectations are for Bryant this season, DAntoni said, "That hell be a dominant player." "He can play any way," DAntoni said. "He can play below the rim, above the rim, the side of the rim. The guy can play any way. Hell figure out how hell be effective and hell come at you with everything hes got." Bryant did not travel with the team to Sacramento. The 15-time All-Star hasnt played since he was injured April 12 in a home win over the Golden State Warriors. He had surgery the following morning and was projected to take six to nine months to recover. Bryants return has seemed imminent since he began practicing last month. The 35-year-old guard has said that he could adjust his game and contribute something to the Lakers even if hes not fully healthy when he finally steps on the court for his 18th NBA season. His teammates expect the same. "Hes the biggest competitor that there is. Happy to have him back," guard Jodie Meeks said. "Hes looked great. Obviously he has to get his timing back and his legs, but I know hes probably been training pretty hard. I dont think it will take him long at all." Los Angeles signed the fourth-leading scoring in NBA history to a two-year contract extension last week. Bryants new deal is reportedly worth $48.5 million and takes him into his 20th season with the Lakers. Bryant hasnt given up hope of adding a sixth championship ring to his trophy case, even while the Lakers struggle to keep up with the NBAs best teams. Los Angeles entered Friday nights game with a 9-9 record. Thats still slightly better than most Lakers fans expected this season after the departures of Dwight Howard and Metta World Peace coupled with the injuries to Bryant and 39-year-old point guard Steve Nash, who could return next week from the nerve root irritation in his back. "Weve developed some guys that are really going to contribute a lot, and it might not have happened if (Bryant) was here," DAntoni said. "You have to look at the bright side of it. Now we just have to get him back to the level that hes capable of playing." LeBron James Cavaliers Jersey .ca. Kerry, I hope you address Ron MacLeans comment during the second intermission of Game 4 in Montreal-Tampa series. Basically, he suggested that the NHL should not have used a referee from Quebec, following the Game 3 disputed non-goal, because the referee could be biased towards Montreal. Brandon Knight Cavaliers Jersey . -- Ricky Romeros comeback bid hit another road bump Tuesday in an ugly 18-4 Jays loss to a Detroit Tigers split squad. https://www.thecavalierslockerroom.com/K...Edition-Jersey/. As deep as their roster is, they need their superstar. Rose scored 23 points in his return from a five-game absence due to back pain, and Chicago hung on to beat the struggling Atlanta Hawks 90-79 on Monday. Jordan Clarkson Cavaliers Jersey . The photograph shows Parker and a French comedian making a gesture known in France as a "quenelle," which critics describe as inverted Nazi salute. Parker said in a statement released through the Spurs that the photograph was taken three years ago. Parker, who was born in Belgium but raised in France, said he didnt know at the time that "it could be in any way offensive or harmful. J.R. Smith Cavaliers Jersey . -- The NFL Players Association wants to determine if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers leaked information about quarterback Josh Freeman being in the NFLs substance abuse program.There will be two replacements for Anthony Calvillo this season, only fitting for a player of his stature. Troy Smith has the unenviable task of trying to fill the surefire Hall of Famers shoes in Montreal, but Calvillo held another post, one for the entire CFL, and one that may now fall to the Toronto Argonauts Ricky Ray. While you could argue the face of the league is now a younger and more electric player; with Calvillo now in retirement, Ray assumes the role of patriarch, head of the league, arguably the greatest still-active player. With 11 years CFL experience, over 250 career touchdown passes, and multiple Grey Cup wins under his belt, Rays resume certainly lends to the idea he could be the next head of state in the CFL. And at 35-years-old, hell have at least a few years to hold that mantle, so long as he plays into his 40s like Calvillo or past patriarch Damon Allen. Thats a lot of time to climb up the "All-Time" lists or knock off a few records. First up, hitting 50,000 career passing yards, which he should accomplish this season. The catch however, is that Ray has to stay healthy, something that gets harder to do the older one gets. Ray was actually extremely resilient during his time with the Edmonton Eskimos, only missing a significant amount of the season in one of his nine seasons in Green and Gold. Since coming to Toronto however, the two-time All-Star has missed 11 games, including seven last season with a shoulder injury. That is of heightened concern for the Argos as well, seeing as there is no guarantee the next Zach Collaros, now the likely starter in Hamilton, is currently on the roster. Rays health is vital to the Argonauts too because outside of tremendous quarterback play, there wasnt a lot going for the teams offence last year. Had they been able to share the Most Outstanding Player award last season, Ray and Collaros surely would have given winner Jon Cornish a scare, but even with that production from the quarterback position, the Argos finished with just an 11-7 record and the fourth ranked offence. The team will need more out of the run game, where 2012 Grey Cup MVP Chad Kackert led the way for a paltry eighth-ranked attack. Kackert somewhat surprisingly retired ahead of training camp and the team now needs to rely on their backup plan. If Ray is to succeed Calvillo as elder statesman of the CFL, and hell certainly be given first crack at the job; like the Alouettes were, the Argonauts will always be in contention. What could push them over the edge is an improved running game and somehow figuring out how to deal with the losses on defence to improve the eighth-ranked unit. Notes Assistant Coaches - The Argonauts sufferred two big losses to their coaching staff over the off-season when defensive coordinator Chris Jones and special teams coordinator Mike OShea accepted head coaching gigs with the Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers respectively.dddddddddddd While its a compliment to head coach Scott Milanovichs staff to have his assistants coveted for head coaching vacancies, the shakeup could hurt the Argos in the short-term. Toronto did replace both Jones and OShea with former head coaches in Tim Burke and Jim Daley. Expansion Draft - Torontos biggest loss in the expansion draft was Joe Eppele, the veteran offensive lineman who proved versatile in his three years with the Double Blue. The Argos also lost veteran Canadian linebacker Jason Pottinger, a solid depth player and special teams contributor, and American defensive lineman Jonathan Williams, who was with the team just one year after arriving from BC. Free Agency - The Argos lost some key pieces in free agency in lockdown defensive back Patrick Watkins, who joined his former defensive coordinator Chris Jones in Edmonton, and promising quarterback Zach Collaros, who chose Torontos biggest rival, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Those losses will be tough to overcome for sure, but they werent entirely unexpected – especially in the case of Collaros – and the team landed some big names on the market as well. Former Montreal Alouettes linebacker and solid Canadian starter Shea Emry will join the Argos as their coup of free agency. CFL Draft - Its rare a running back goes as high as third overall, but the Toronto Argonauts, who traded up to land Manitoba product Anthony Coombs, think they drafted a potential ratio buster. With Chad Kackert retiring later in the off-season, the Coombs pick looks even better. Toronto also selected UBC DL Jaskaran Dhillon in the third round, Manitoba LB Thomas Miles and Montreal FB Alexandre Dupuis in the fourth round, St. Marys DB Eric Black and Windsor WR Evan Pszczonak in the fifth round, Simon Fraser WR Tore Corrado in the sixth round, and Acadia DL Kirby Fletcher in the seventh round. BMO Field - It seemed a foregone conclusion the Argonauts would move to BMO Field on Exhibition Grounds after their time at the Rogers Centre came to an end in 2017. That may not be the case however, as MLSE, who also appeared set to buy the Argonauts from David Braley – also the owner of the BC Lions – threatened to go ahead with upgrades to BMO Field that didnt include expansion for the Argos if the federal government didnt come through with some funding help. There is still time for this issue to be resolved, but for now, the Argos future location is somewhat in the air. ' ' '