Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak thinks Kobe is not retiring

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said he fully expects Kobe Bryant to play next season after the Lakers star suffered a recent season-ending shoulder injury.

"I don't think he's retiring," Kupchak said Thursday after the Lakers' shootaround. "He said he's looking forward to training camp. That's what we expect."

Bryant is expected to need nine months to recover from his third straight season-ending injury, a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder suffered last week that he had surgically repaired Wednesday.

Kupchak also defended the two-year, $48.5 million extension that the Lakers signed Bryant to in 2013 even though Bryant has played sparingly because of injuries over the past three seasons.

"We have no regrets at all," Kupchak said. "He is worth every penny of it."