According to TMZ, Bryant has been suffering from "excruciating pain," and he's received a numbing shot prior to each game he's played since injuring his wrist during a preseason game against the Clippers.
The injection the team doctor reportedly gave Bryant to numb the pain on Sunday hardly worked, and it was a miracle he even played.
"If it was anyone else but Kobe, if they did play they'd come up goose eggs on the scoreboard," a Laker source told TMZ. "It's incredible he's playing at all."
In addition to the numbing shots, Bryant reportedly plays with a cast, receives physical therapy after each game and wears a flexible cast at all times off the court.
Lakers head coach Mike Brown has previously stated that he believes Bryant's wrist is bothering him.
"He's got to continue to figure out how to stay in rhythm or how to get in rhythm with that wrist," Brown said, according to the Sporting News. "He might not say it, but try to hold a microphone with a torn ligament, let alone shoot it and make sure you get a follow through. That's a bear. That's a bear."
Bryant scored 16 points on 6-of-28 shooting on Sunday, when the Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets, 99-90. He's averaged 24 points per game this season overall.
