Kobe Bryant ‘blackout’ tweet: Sign of a return to intensive training?

Kobe Bryant often uses Twitter to express himself, but the message is often cryptic.

Injured on April 12, the Lakers All-Star is still sidelined as he tries to push back from a torn Achilles.

On Friday, the Lakers All-Star indicated he was able to “run and run pretty well” last week. He had previously said he would need three weeks of solid conditioning before he could play in a game.

On Tuesday, Bryant sent out this mysterious tweet:

“Blackout,” as Bryant described in 2011 at his annual youth basketball camp, the Kobe Basketball Academy, is the “first segment of my on-court workouts.”

The program involves extensive running, offensive drills, cardio and weightlifting.

“It’s extensive,” he said.

Bryant also has a line of basketball shoes with the “Blackout” moniker.

The hashtag “#bearhunt” is likely a callback to the day after Bryant was injured. Opening up on Facebook early that morning, Bryant quoted a Jay Z lyric (from the song “I’m On the Rock,” by Mavado), “If you see me in a fight with a bear, [pray] for the bear.”

In addition to sending his cryptic tweet Tuesday, Bryant also changed his Twitter photo, called an avatar, to all black.

His previous avatar was an image of the number “1225” -- presumably a reflection on ESPN’s ranking of the Lakers as the 12th best team in the Western Conference, and Bryant as the 25th best player in the NBA.

Bryant’s original timeline for recovery was six to nine months. It’s still unclear when he’ll be back.

Although the latest tweet may have nothing to do with basketball -- perhaps he had a power outage in his Orange County home while watching the Nature Channel -- there’s reason to believe based on Bryant’s use of the medium that he’s ramped up his efforts to return to the court.

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Email Eric Pincus at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.