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Kobe Bryant has torn wrist ligament
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has a torn wrist ligament and will not play in Wednesday night's preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Lakers have listed Bryant's status as day to day.
"Just from what our trainer (Gary Vitti) tells us, I'm going to hold him out tonight," said coach Mike Brown after the team's shootaround.
Bryant suffered the right wrist injury, his shooting hand, in the Lakers' 114-95 loss to the Clippers on Monday when he fell to the floor in the third quarter after having his shot attempt blocked by DeAndre Jordan.
Bryant was examined by Dr. Steven Shin of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic and underwent an MRI exam on Wednesday. Results show that Bryant has a torn lunotriquetral ligament.
The lunotriquetral ligament is a band of tissue that connects bones in the wrist.
"These are tiny little ligaments that keep the multiple bones in your wrist together so that you have movement as well as stability," Dr. Robert Klapper, an orthopaedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Group, told 710 ESPN Los Angeles' "Max & Marcellus Show."
The Lakers' opening game is just four days away against the Chicago Bulls on Christmas.
"I can't speak to Sunday," Brown said. "He may practice (Thursday), he may not. I'll have a better feel soon."
The Lakers will already be missing one starter against the Bulls, as center Andrew Bynum is suspended for the first five games of the season because of a hit he made on J.J. Barea in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals last spring.
Bryant practiced with the injury on Tuesday but did not participate in Wednesday's shootaround after continuing to experience pain on the top portion of his hand.
Klapper said that wrist injuries of that nature do not typically require surgery, but could keep Bryant out 3-4 weeks depending on the degree of the tear.
"If it's completely torn, you're talking about a month out," Klapper said. "But, if it's just showing up on the MRI as bruising in the ligaments or in the bone, then that's a different story. Then it's less of an injury."
The injury news comes as a blow considering that Bryant, 33, had reported being in top physical condition throughout training camp.
Bryant traveled to Germany to undergo an innovative procedure on his bothersome right knee during the offseason. He said his knee, which held him out of most practices last season, had improved. Bryant was also playing without a wrap on his arthritic right index finger during training camp, suggesting his finger had improved during the offseason as well.
"Obviously I feel a lot stronger and a lot quicker being able to get to the basket and get to the free throw line which will be a huge plus for us," Bryant said after Monday's game.
Source: AP
The Lakers have listed Bryant's status as day to day.
"Just from what our trainer (Gary Vitti) tells us, I'm going to hold him out tonight," said coach Mike Brown after the team's shootaround.
Bryant suffered the right wrist injury, his shooting hand, in the Lakers' 114-95 loss to the Clippers on Monday when he fell to the floor in the third quarter after having his shot attempt blocked by DeAndre Jordan.
Bryant was examined by Dr. Steven Shin of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic and underwent an MRI exam on Wednesday. Results show that Bryant has a torn lunotriquetral ligament.
The lunotriquetral ligament is a band of tissue that connects bones in the wrist.
"These are tiny little ligaments that keep the multiple bones in your wrist together so that you have movement as well as stability," Dr. Robert Klapper, an orthopaedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Group, told 710 ESPN Los Angeles' "Max & Marcellus Show."
The Lakers' opening game is just four days away against the Chicago Bulls on Christmas.
"I can't speak to Sunday," Brown said. "He may practice (Thursday), he may not. I'll have a better feel soon."
The Lakers will already be missing one starter against the Bulls, as center Andrew Bynum is suspended for the first five games of the season because of a hit he made on J.J. Barea in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals last spring.
Bryant practiced with the injury on Tuesday but did not participate in Wednesday's shootaround after continuing to experience pain on the top portion of his hand.
Klapper said that wrist injuries of that nature do not typically require surgery, but could keep Bryant out 3-4 weeks depending on the degree of the tear.
"If it's completely torn, you're talking about a month out," Klapper said. "But, if it's just showing up on the MRI as bruising in the ligaments or in the bone, then that's a different story. Then it's less of an injury."
The injury news comes as a blow considering that Bryant, 33, had reported being in top physical condition throughout training camp.
Bryant traveled to Germany to undergo an innovative procedure on his bothersome right knee during the offseason. He said his knee, which held him out of most practices last season, had improved. Bryant was also playing without a wrap on his arthritic right index finger during training camp, suggesting his finger had improved during the offseason as well.
"Obviously I feel a lot stronger and a lot quicker being able to get to the basket and get to the free throw line which will be a huge plus for us," Bryant said after Monday's game.
Source: AP