Lakers News: NBA Admits Missed Kobe Bryant Foul On Ricky Rubio

LA Lakers at MinnesotaWith 3.4 seconds remaining in the tightly contested Lakers and Timberwolves game last night, Kobe Bryant missed a free-throw that would have given the Lakers a four point lead. Timberwolves’ guard Ricky Rubio grabbed the miss, raced down court, and heaved a long three-pointer with the time expiring, as Bryant and Dwight Howard both jumped from behind to impede.

When looked at again on replay, it’s debatable that Bryant hit Rubio upon the wrist as he was shooting and even Ricky believed the same as he was animate about being fouled after time expired. Today, Ben Golliver of NBA Sports Illustarted reported that the NBA contacted the Timberwolves and apologized and informed them that the referees did miss the call.

—- Test your black mamba knowledge by taking this Kobe Bryant quiz! —-

Rubio and Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman were irate about the call after game. However, Bryant did not share the same emotion:

“That’s not a foul,” Bryant told told reporters after the game. “They ain’t calling that s—. I don’t think I got him. That’s just a tough call to make. I just put my hand in. It’s not like I went out and smacked him across the arm or anything like that.”

And what if the foul had been called and Rubio had forced the game into an extra period?

“We would have gone into overtime and won the game,” Bryant said. “It’s as simple as that.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0HhkVStaY90

The Lakers resume play tonight as they face the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

You May Also Like

Lakers Injury Update: LeBron James Doing ‘Light’ Court Work, Progressing Each Day

The last time LeBron James went down with a serious injury, the Los Angeles Lakers sputtered and missed the playoffs…

Warriors Injury Report: Stephen Curry And Draymond Green, Among Others Ruled Out For Monday’s Game Against Lakers

While it may feel as though Monday night is solely about the Kobe Bryant jersey retirement ceremony, the Los Angeles…

Lakers News: Kobe Bryant ‘Deadly Serious’ About Importance Of Passing Torch To LeBron James In Quest For Championships

Once Kobe Bryant retired at the end of the 2015-16 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers entered into a true rebuild and search for the next star to lead the proud…

Lakers News: LeBron James Passes Wilt Chamberlain For Fifth On NBA’s All-Time Triple-Double List

With 24 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in Monday night’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, LeBron James recorded…