Like most of his fellow Trail Blazers, Rodney Hood returned to Portland well in advance of the start of training camp for informal workouts at the team's practice facility in Tualatin. But he's also one of the ever increasing number of players who seek out training and advice from those outside of their respective organizations during the offseason, which this year resulted in Hood spending a few days in southern California under the tutelage of one of the most respected competitors in league history.
Hood was one of a select group of players invited to join Kobe Bryant at his Mamba Sports Academy facility in Thousand Oaks, CA for a few days of workouts with the Lakers legend and future Hall of Famer known as the Mamba Sports Pro Invitational.