Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant will likely miss the remainder of the season as team doctors confirmed on Friday that the 19-year veteran sustained a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder.
Bryant hurt his shoulder in the third period of their 96-80 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday and reports on Thursday indicated that he suffered a torn rotator cuff.
The 36-year-old superstar visited team physician Dr. Steve Lombardo, who confirmed on Friday that Bryant suffered a significant tear, which could require a season-ending injury.
The Lakers announced that Bryant will visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic on Monday to discuss their options, but there is already a growing concern within the organization that Bryant will indeed miss the remainder of the 2014-15 NBA season.
Bryant, who is playing in the first year of his new two-year deal worth $48.5 million, is averaging 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 34.5 minutes per game this season. The third All-Time leading scorer in the league played heavy minutes for the Lakers early in the season.
Lakers head coach Byron Scott is unsure whether or not the heavy minutes Bryant played in their first 27 games contributed to the injury, but he admitted that he considered it as one of the reasons and even apologized to Bryant on Thursday upon learning of the potential season-ending injury.
"I don't know if the wear and tear of playing so many minutes early is a result of what's happening to him right now" Scott told ESPN Los Angeles. "To be honest with you, I thought about that, it made me almost sick, you know. But I even apologized to him in a text."
When news about Bryant's injury spread on Thursday, many feared that fans might have seen the last of the 17-time All-Star, who said earlier in the season that he has thought about retiring this year.
When asked about the possibility of seeing Bryant out for good, Scott expressed belief that Bryant will not allow himself to go out because of injury, and will recover from the recent setback similar to what he did when he sustained a torn Achilles and fractured knee in 2013.
"Everybody said he was done after the Achilles and he came back pretty strong," Scott said. "Knowing him the way I know him, I know he doesn't want to go out this way. I think he'll rehab it if that's the case and then we'll have to wait and see."
