Kobe Bryant is on his final year and as much as possible, he will not let injuries cut off his remaining games.
That includes being almost sidelined yet again with a suspect dislocated finger when the Los Angeles Lakers played against the San Antonio Spurs.
Bryant suffered the dislocation as he slipped on a wet spot and used his right hand to cushion his fall. His finger jammed in the process but the franchise star added that it was not a straight dislocation (shaped like an S, as he mentioned via ESPN).
Bryant went to the bench to have it looked at by trainer Gary Vitti. The Lakers trainer managed to pop the finger back in and the retiring Laker great continued to play. In fact, he even made his shot after that.
The uncanny resolution was nothing new to Bryant and Vitti after years of being together, and the aforementioned episode was nothing really new.
His toughness drew the admiration of Byron Scott and Tim Duncan, both seemingly unsurprised at the toughness of the Black Mamba then and now.
The Lakers lost to the Spurs at home (119–113), but the night seemed to be more focused on that incident. Bryant's finger still underwent the usual X-ray procedures but results came back negative.
For someone retiring, Bryant just exemplified his toughness and how he is dedicated and committed to playing NBA ball even if he could have opted to sit out the game in his final season.
Hampered by injuries the past three years, Bryant is bent on finishing the season on a high note as long as he is able to play through minor injuries.
With the right middle finger hardly an issue right now, only a major injury (hopefully not) can stop Bryant from ending his season on a sour note.
Bryant seems good to go, suiting up Sunday when the Lakers played against the Chicago Bulls.
