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Kobe Bryant to undergo surgery for torn rotator cuff
Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the fourth quarter of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in this December 14, 2014, file photo taken at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bryant tore his left rotator cuff in a game last week and is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair the shoulder, the team said on Monday, January 26, 2015.
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will undergo surgery for a torn rotator cuff, likely ending his season.
Bryant, who injured his right shoulder in a game against the Pelicans in New Orleans last week, was examined Monday morning by a physician at the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic who confirmed it was a torn rotator cuff, the team said in a statement.
The Lakers guard agreed under the advice of Dr. Neal ElAttrache to have surgery to repair his shoulder. The surgery was scheduled for Wednesday morning, according to the statement.
The team said an estimate for Bryant's return to the court would be issued following the surgery, but according to the Associated Press, coach Byron Scott said Kobe "is probably not going to play" again this season.
Here's more from AP:
Bryant's torn rotator cuff is likely his third straight season-ending injury. He missed the 2013 playoffs with a torn Achilles tendon, and he played just six games last season before breaking a bone near his left knee.
The third-leading scorer in NBA history sat out eight games in the last month to rest his 36-year-old body, but he injured his shoulder while dunking.
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