Kobe Bryant’s latest injury is definitely a sad spot for the Los Angeles Lakers, and the NBA as a whole. It was recently announced that Kobe will undergo surgery on his torn rotator cuff and even though no timetable was announced, Kobe is likely to miss the rest of the season.
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One of the very few players remaining from Kobe’s era is Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki who expressed disappointment in Kobe’s latest injury according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon:
Disappointing,” Nowitzki said of the news that a serious injury will end Bryant’s season prematurely for the third consecutive campaign. “I think he worked extremely hard to get back to the point where he’s fun to watch again. After an Achilles tear, kind of everybody said they’re not sure if he’s going to come back, and he worked his butt off like he has his entire career and gets to a point where he scores again and is fun to watch. And now another injury happens.”
Both of these players have been dominating the league for more than a decade and clearly have a lot of respect for each other. Like Kobe, Nowitzki is one of the league’s top-10 leading scorers all-time and recently passed Moses Malone to move into the seventh spot.
Kobe is one of the most respected players in the NBA, especially amongst his peers and watching him suffer another injury is difficult for many to see. Even Kobe’s most fierce rivals want to see him back on the floor, but that will probably have to wait another season.
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