The Lakers announced on Monday that Bryant would be in the lineup for Game 5 against the Hornets on Tuesday night, despite suffering a sprained ankle in L.A.'s loss to New Orleans on Sunday night.
Bryant injured the ankle while guarding Hornets guard Willie Green with just 1:32 to play in what turned out to be a Hornets win that evened the series at two games apiece. Bryant was spotted leaving the arena on crutches after the game.
While Bryant was scheduled to undergo tests on Monday morning, including an MRI on his injured ankle, the All-Star apparently made the decision himself that he was all right.
"Bryant did not undergo tests on Monday, instead simply telling [head coach] Phil Jackson that he was going to play in Tuesday evening's Game 5," read an update on the Lakers' website on Monday night.
Understandably, the Lakers are lobbying for their superstar to get the ankle checked out.
"We're trying to convince him it might be a good idea," stated Jackson on Monday, according to ESPN.com "He won't let [the medical staff] deal with it.
"It doesn't matter, he's going to play anyway."
