Kobe Bryant to Keep Playing Through Painful Elbow Injury


Kobe Bryant doubled over in pain last night after aggravating a right elbow injury, but he says that the severe pain won’t keep him off the court. Despite 30 points from their injured leader, the Los Angeles Lakers’ quest for a Playoff berth took a hit as they fell 122-105 to the OKC Thunder. Per the LA Daily News: “Bryant had suffered ulnar nerve contusion on his right elbow, essentially an injury to his funny bone. But there was nothing funny about it. The Lakers initially considered him ‘questionable’ to return, but Bryant provided more images of his determined attitude only minutes later. The Lakers’ 122-105 loss Tuesday to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena may have showed Bryant scoring 30 points on 8 of 19 shooting. But he lacked a supporting cast. Even worse was his post-game recognition on the injury’s severity. ‘Every time you try to bend your elbow and extend it, Bryant said, ‘there’s a little resistance and a lot of pain.’ Still, Bryant made one thing clear. ‘I’m going to keep playing,’ he said. ‘This is a critical part of the season to say the least.’ The Lakers (30-31) remain 2½ games behind the Utah Jazz (32-28) for the eighth playoff spot, while falling three games behind the Houston Rockets (33-28) for the seventh seed. […] How can his teammates ease the burden? ‘Just knock down some shots,’ Bryant said. ‘They need to make the shots they have available to them. If they don’t, we have to get second chance opportunities.'”