Bryant takes over Nike Basketball Twitter feed

Kobe Bryant has only recently begun to embrace social media, posting somewhat regularly on his Facebook account over the last year.

Recently, the Lakers all-star guard hinted that he'd start a Twitter account. Perhaps in a test run, Bryant commandeered the @nikebasketball handle on Christmas Day.

Bryant's first tweet was at 11:09 a.m., "Merry Christmas! Enjoy the ones you love #countonfamily," which included a photo of Bryant with his family.

After Tuesday's win over the New York Knicks, Bryant wrote "14-14 not great but we are getting better.  It's all about the journey #countonchallenges."

He also posted pictures of his late-night 20-minute ice bath, noting that "the hardest part is getting over the first [two minutes]."

Bryant will apparently use the Nike account for a few days -- noting, "So yes I'm finally tweeting!! Mamba out."

-Eric Pincus