Did Kobe Bryant play in his final game last night?
Last night, Kobe Bryant played out of character, using his left-hand for an unusual amount of shot taking against the New Orleans Pelicans. Los Angeles Lakers team doctors and training staff soon announced their future Hall-of-Famer would have an MRI exam the following morning. Earlier today, we soon learned the results of his testing, revealing a tear of the rotator cuff in his right shoulder. He suffered the tear in the final minutes of the third quarter, where he drove baseline (shout out to my NBA 2K15 team up guys) for a two-handed dunk.
Update: Kobe Bryant had an MRI exam, preliminary results show a tear of the rotator cuff. He will fly back to LA. pic.twitter.com/EOZTuuKjoL
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 22, 2015
He initially grabbed his shoulder down the court and still played through the pain. After the game, Kobe said “I’ve played on a torn labrum before; I’m not too concerned about it.” While that may have been in his prime 20s and early 30s, the now 36-year-old has been receiving rest throughout the season to not wear out his body.
This isn’t Bryant’s first injury over the last year either, which he suffered an Achilles tendon to rupture in April 2013. He’s expected to be further evaluated again before the weekend, which will determine his fate if surgery is required or rehab. Given that Los Angeles only has 12 wins through the mid-way point of the season, the Mamba could see an immediate shut down for the season – with the possibility of a retirement announcement.
Highlights from Kobe’s potential final game shooting left-handed
UPDATE: Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN is reporting Kobe Bryant is expected to shut it down for the season. The recovery time for an injury like what Kobe suffered is 4-6 months.
This is what happens when I pass too much! #ShoulderShock thank u all for ur thoughts and prayers #team @DrinkBODYARMOR @Lakers #oneluv
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 23, 2015
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