Kobe Bryant's Season Might Be Over Yet Again

The season of defiance that has been for Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers seems to have hit another major snag. Per Baxter Holmes of ESPNLA, Black Mamba's rotator cuff is no longer functional:

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who injured his shoulder in the second half of Wednesday's game against the Pelicans in New Orleans, suffered a torn rotator cuff, preliminary results of MRI exam show.

The MRI was taken in San Antonio. Bryant will return to Los Angeles later on Thursday and will be examined by team doctors on Friday. An update on his condition will be issued at that time, the Lakers said.

More on this per Darius Soriano of Forum Blue and Gold as to how exactly Kobe injured himself:

After completing a basic two-handed dunk after a nice drive baseline in the third quarter of Wednesday’s loss to the Pelicans, Kobe ran up court with a bit of a grimace and held his right shoulder. He’d later return to the game, only to play almost exclusively with his left hand — even attempting some shots southpaw — exiting with a little over a minute left to play in the game. He headed straight to the locker room to receive treatment.

In a season where Kobe Bryant has found a way to return to the NBA for his 19th season in Los Angeles, has once again been taking down by injury in each of his last three seasons. With the achilles' tendon tear in 2013, a knee injury in 2014 and now the torn rotator cuff, this could really be the final days of Bean. A couple of things to note here:

  1. Inexplicably, the Los Angeles Lakers could be pulling off the greatest tanking season in tank history. If the Lakers find a way to get the #1 pick this summer....
  2. With Kobe sidelined yet again, this means more shots for Nick Young. Who isn't here for Swaggy P?
  3. The fact that Kobe is going to probably end the season as a 37% shooter from the field is just insane. That's at an Iverson like level.

The questions will arise whether this is truly it for Kobe and his NBA career, but we've seen the man find a way to come back from devastating injuries in the last three seasons. Could this injury be the one that puts his career over the top? Maybe, but I wouldn't bet on it.

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