Kobe Bryant out for season after surgery

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant had successful shoulder surgery on Wednesday, the third-straight year he has undergone a season-ending procedure, the National Basketball Association team said.

The two-hour surgery, to repair a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, was performed by doctors Neal ElAttrache and Steve Lombardo at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles.

The 36-year-old Bryant is expected to be out nine months and doctors said with proper rehabilitation he would be able to return to the Lakers in time for his 20th season.

"I expect Kobe to make a full recovery and if all goes as expected, he should be ready for the start of the season," ElAttrache said.

For the last three years Bryant has endured a season-ending injury, after a torn Achilles tendon in April 2013 and a broken bone in his knee last season.

The 19-year veteran and five-time NBA champion suffered the injury in last Wednesday's 96-80 loss at New Orleans.

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, is the league's highest-paid player at $23.5 million.

The Lakers made a point of giving a specific timeline for Bryant's expected return Wednesday to reiterate that they don't expect him to retire.

He injured his shoulder while dunking the ball against the Pelicans and on Monday the team announced he had opted for surgery.

"In my mind right now, he's coming back next year, unless he tells me something different," said Lakers coach Byron Scott on Wednesday.

"But I think the biggest thing with Kobe, as long as [people] are saying that he's done, he's going to come back.

"I think he proved his point this year that he still has a lot left in the tank."

Bryant averaged 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 35 games this season.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Lakers' Bryant to have surgery, season in jeopardy

Kobe Bryant's NBA season could be over after the guard agreed to have surgery on a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, the Los Angeles Lakers said on Monday.

The five-time National Basketball Association champion will have surgery on Wednesday and a timeline for his return will be issued following the procedure, the team said in a statement.

Bryant injured his shoulder last week in a loss to the Pelicans in New Orleans and it could lead to the 16-time NBA All-Star being shut down for the Lakers' final 37 games of the 2014-15 regular season.

The 36-year-old guard was averaging 22.3 points from 35 games this season for a struggling Lakers team that is last in the Pacific Division with a 12-33 record.

Bryant had sat out eight of the Lakers' previous 16 games for "rest" reasons.

The former league most valuable player, who stands fourth on the NBA's all-time scoring list, played in only six games last season due to knee and Achilles tendon injuries as Los Angeles posted a 27-55 record.

Bryant, who joined the Lakers as a first-round pick out of high school as an 18-year-old in 1996, is signed through next season after inking a two-year extension in 2013 for $48.5 million.

(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Injured Bryant gets NBA all-star nod

Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant was named to his 17th NBA All-Star Game, same day his club announced he had a torn rotator cuff.

Bryant garnered one of the Western Conference starting guard spots over league-leading scorer James Harden.

But before the voting results were announced Thursday, the Lakers had revealed the veteran had suffered a torn rotator cuff in Wednesday night's game, making it unlikely he will be able to play in the February 15 mid-season showcase at Madison Square Garden.

Bryant received 1,152,402 votes -- 83,034 more than Harden.

Bryant was also a surprise pick for the Western Conference team last year because of injuries and was eventually replaced by Harden.

The other starting guard for the West is Golden State's Stephen Curry, who overcame LeBron James over the past week to earn the most overall votes with 1.51 million to James' 1.47 million in global fan voting.

Besides having a new top overall vote getter, this season's event will feature a number of first-time starters, including New Orleans Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis.

Clippers forward Blake Griffin and Grizzlies centre Marc Gasol make up the West's frontcourt.

New York forward Carmelo Anthony and Chicago big man Pau Gasol will join James in the frontcourt for the Eastern Conference, while Washington point guard John Wall and Toronto's Kyle Lowry comprise the backcourt.

Lowry vaulted past Miami's Dwyane Wade for the final guard spot.

The selection of Marc and Pau Gasol mark the first time that two brothers will start and NBA All-Star Game. Brothers Tom and Dick Van Arsdale both played in the 1970 and 1971 games, but they weren't both starters.

Atlanta's Mike Budenholzer and Golden State's Steve Kerr will be the head coaches for the game. The head coaches will select their reserves, to be announced on January 29.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Kobe Bryant has torn rotator cuff, season in doubt

Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant has a torn rotator cuff, according to preliminary results of an MRI exam, the Los Angeles Lakers said on Thursday.

Bryant, who hurt his right shoulder on a dunk in the second half of Wednesday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans, will return to Los Angeles later on Thursday and be examined by team doctors on Friday, the team said in a statement.

The high-scoring guard will miss Thursday's game against the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and the rest of his season could be in jeopardy depending on the severity of the tear.

Bryant, a former league most valuable player, twice an NBA scoring leader and a two-time MVP of the NBA Finals, had sat out eight of the previous 16 games for "rest" reasons and had complained about an achy shoulder.

Asked Thursday before results of the MRI were known if an injury might encourage the team to shut Bryant down for the rest of the season, coach Byron Scott said a lot depended on how Bryant felt.

"He knows his body pretty well," Scott told the Orange County Register. "He's probably one of the toughest guys in this league as far as playing through injury and through pain."

The 36-year-old, a 16-time All-Star, is averaging 22.3 points from 35 games this season and is signed through next season after inking a two-year extension in 2013 for $48.5 million.

Bryant, who is fourth on the NBA's all-time scoring list, played in only six games last season due to knee and Achilles tendon injuries as the Lakers struggled to a 27-55 record.

This season, after losing Pau Gasol to free agency and another season to injury for veteran point guard Steve Nash, the Lakers are 12-31, second from last in the Western Conference.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com