LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant’s torn right rotator cuff will be re-examined Monday before the Lakers decide if the superstar guard needs potentially season-ending surgery.
Bryant was examined Friday in Los Angeles after the third-leading scorer in NBA history tore his rotator cuff Wednesday in New Orleans.
“We know it’s a tear, but we don’t know to what degree,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said Friday in San Antonio. “Monday we’ll find out if he’s going to have surgery or not. That’s disappointing in of itself. We know we’re going to miss him for a length of time, we just don’t know how long yet.”
A completely torn rotator cuff typically requires surgery and several months of rehabilitation, which means Bryant’s 19th NBA season could be over. Bryant’s previous two seasons also ended early because of injuries.
A partial tear sometimes can be managed while an athlete continues to play, but the Lakers have declined to specify the severity of Bryant’s tear. Yet it’s clear the 36-year-old has a major injury for the third consecutive season, his famously resilient body finally wearing down from the accumulated grind of nearly two decades with the Lakers and numerous long postseason runs.
Team physician Steve Lombardo confirmed the initial diagnosis and discussed treatment options with Bryant on Friday. Bryant will be examined again by Neal ElAttrache of the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic on Monday, and they’ll decide if Bryant should have surgery.
Bryant joked about the injury on his Twitter account Friday: “This is what happens when I pass too much!”
Thumbnail photo via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images
