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 The 35-year-old, who spent almost eight months on the sidelines
with a torn left Achilles' tendon before making his comeback on
Dec. 8, hyperextended his left knee during Tuesday's 96-92 win
against the Grizzlies in Memphis.
Bryant, a 15-time All-Star and five-time NBA champion, had a
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam on Thursday and was also
examined by a team physician.
"Results of the MRI show that Bryant has a fracture of the lateral
tibial plateau of his knee," the Lakers said in a statement. "He is
expected to be out approximately six weeks."
Bryant's latest injury comes as a major blow for the Lakers, who
only last month signed the league veteran to a two-year, $48.5
million contract extension.
"That's too bad, you hate it for Kobe," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni
told reporters after the team practiced at their El Segundo training
facility.
"He's worked so hard to get back. But he'll be back. He'll be back
in six weeks. He's got to weather the storm to get back. We're going
to play hard. We have enough guys and enough talent. We'll be fine."
Xavier Henry will take over as starting point guard in Bryant's
absence, the Lakers said.
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Bryant, who injured his left knee with 3:25 left in the third
quarter of Tuesday's game against Memphis before returning to
the court to finish with a total 21 points, posted a brief
comment on Twitter on Thursday.
"#BrokenNotBeaten," he tweeted.
Asked on Tuesday to explain what happened during the decisive
play when he fell after backing Tony Allen down into the post,
Bryant told reporters: "I just hyperextended it. I tend to
hyperextend my knees every now and then."
Bryant's widely anticipated return from his Achilles' tendon
injury gave the team a significant boost, though they have
struggled to a win-loss record of 2-4 since then.
Making matters worse for the Lakers is that all three of their
point guards have been sidelined by injury — Steve Nash (nerve
damage in back), Steve Blake (torn ligament in right elbow) and
Jordan Farmar (torn hamstring).
Bryant has averaged 13.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists in
six games this season for the Lakers (12-13) who sit 11th in the
15-team Western Conference.
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles;
editing by
Gene Cherry)
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