Asked on Monday whether he will take to the court at Conseco Fieldhouse come Wednesday night, Bryant said: "I don't know. Probably."
Yet judging by the way he winced while stepping off the team bus, Bryant's return after spraining his left ankle in Game 2 remains questionable at best.
Not only is the ankle sore and stiff, but Bryant still has a slight limp to his stride.
Kobe Bryant will "probably" play Game 4 of the NBA Finals after spraining ankle in Game 2 (AP)
Bryant himself likened it walking while "your foot is locked," which is why a decision to play is anything but a lock.
"It will depend on if I can benefit the team," Bryant said. "A lot of my game is based on speed and cutting and getting guys open shots, you know, kind of penetrating the ball down guys' throats. But we'll see what happens."
Of bigger concern for the Lakers is what happens if he cannot go.
If Sunday's 100-91 loss to the Indiana Pacers is any indication, L.A.'s tricky triangle offence fizzles without him and reduces Showtime to a one-man show starring Shaquille O'Neal.
The Lakers plan to make some adjustments, but are finding a worthy replacement for Bryant hard to come by.
Brian Shaw started Game 3 in his stead, but continued to struggle. The veteran managed a mere 10 points and is now 6-for-28 in the series, including 0-for-10 from three-point range.
Sharp-shooter Glen Rice was also an option, yet was benched by Lakers' head coach Phil Jackson at critical junctures, including most of the fourth quarter in Game 3.
"I definitely think we would have had a better chance to win with me on the floor," Rice said.
When told of Rice's comments, Jackson said: "I have no comment for that. That's the way he saw the game."
As it was, Jackson saw Rice as a defensive liability so turned to Toronto's Rick Fox down the stretch, a move some of his players found puzzling.
"I was disappointed a little bit that our best shooter was on the bench," O'Neal said.
Welcome to the first controversy of the Finals. And while Rice claims not to want to stir things up, his statements are doing just that.
"I really think I need to be in there for us to succeed. With me being on the court, it's going to make it a lot easier for Shaq in the paint. It could all be done a lot easier."
As easy as Game 2, when Rice filled in for Bryant and poured in 21 points.
Problem is, within the construct of the triangle offence, he's inconsistent -- as seven points in Game 3 will attest -- and certainly no Kobe.
"I know I can score, but I try to work within the offence," Rice said. "It's frustrating sometimes."
"We have to review the film and get back to reviewing the triangle," O'Neal said. "Kobe's like a creator. He can get to the hole and do a lot of slashing and create shots for himself."
If he's healthy. Something he wasn't on Sunday as Jackson put him through some test paces. The head coach put the kibosh on Kobe playing when he felt painful twinges moving laterally.
"I asked him how it felt and he said, 'It hurts,'" Jackson said. "So I said, 'Save it.'"
"You know, the doctors put me through some tests, see how the ankle felt," Bryant said. "They were shocked at how much strength I had in the foot. But Phil made the final call."
It's likely he will again for Game 4, only this time, without the luxury of a 2-0 series lead.
As it is, the Lakers are up 2-1, but 3-5 on the road in the playoffs and the next two games at the Fieldhouse.
Unless Kobe recovers, and quickly, it could be the Lakers limping home on crutches.
