Kobe Bryant is out indefinitely after spraining his ankle in the closing seconds of the Lakers' 95-92 loss to the Hawks. (Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports)
ATLANTA — Kobe Bryant limped out of Philips Arena Wednesday night, a severely sprained ankle and revenge fresh on his mind.
With the final seconds ticking off the clock of the Los Angeles Lakers' most recent loss, Bryant attempted a potential game-tying jumper, with Atlanta Hawks defender Dahntay Jones crowding his shooting space as the shot caromed off the rim. But the focus was not on the missed shot. It was back on the baseline, where Bryant had landed on Jones' foot and collapsed due to an awkwardly turned ankle.
At that point, Atlanta's 95-92 win was all but a given; the remainder of the Lakers' up-and-down season hung in the balance.
The mere sight of the future Hall of Famer on the floor brought an immediate hush to the pro-L.A. crowd in Atlanta. Subsequent X-rays came back negative, but the Lakers' staff said that the All-Star shooting guard would be "out indefinitely." That seemed far from Bryant's mind once he finally emerged from the trainer's room, though he did acknowledge this is the worst ankle sprain of his career.
With the final seconds ticking off the clock of the Los Angeles Lakers' most recent loss, Bryant attempted a potential game-tying jumper, with Atlanta Hawks defender Dahntay Jones crowding his shooting space as the shot caromed off the rim. But the focus was not on the missed shot. It was back on the baseline, where Bryant had landed on Jones' foot and collapsed due to an awkwardly turned ankle.
At that point, Atlanta's 95-92 win was all but a given; the remainder of the Lakers' up-and-down season hung in the balance.
The mere sight of the future Hall of Famer on the floor brought an immediate hush to the pro-L.A. crowd in Atlanta. Subsequent X-rays came back negative, but the Lakers' staff said that the All-Star shooting guard would be "out indefinitely." That seemed far from Bryant's mind once he finally emerged from the trainer's room, though he did acknowledge this is the worst ankle sprain of his career.
Bryant's pain threshold is rather famous around the league; he's missed just 22 games over the past six-plus seasons. But with the Lakers in the midst of a playoff race — with the Atlanta loss, Los Angeles is a half-game up in the Western Conference race, holding down the eighth spot just ahead of Utah — the injury comes at a time when the Lakers can ill afford to lose their best player. As ESPN Stats & Info pointed out: Since 2006-07, the Lakers are 14-8 without Bryant — a respectable record, but one that would probably not be good enough down the stretch of this season.
