The latest Kobe Bryant news is probably worse than what the Los Angeles Lakers is experiencing right now.
In a game against the New Orleans Pelicans last Wednesday, the 36-year old superstar injured his shoulder. This means he is done for the season. Kobe underwent a successful surgery briefly a week after getting hurt but that doesn't change the fact that he won't be able to help his team anymore. With Kobe out, a spot in the NBA All-Star Game in New York has been vacated.
While, fans are sad that one star has been removed in the spectacle, another superstar laments that unfortunate Kobe Bryant news, Paul Pierce.
In a report by ESPN, the Washington Wizards guard and former Boston Celtics star was quoted as saying that he is sad that his "brother" has to leave the whole season.
"It always saddens me, knowing that Kobe, who is one of my NBA brothers, we lose [him] due to injury," Pierce said during shootaround before their game against the Lakers at Staples Center which they eventually won.
Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce figured in so many battles before that some of them even went too physical. The most notable of which are the two instances they met in the NBA Finals (2008 and 2010) which they split. Although they are huge rivals, Pierce insists the sad Kobe Bryant news will still negatively affect the league.
"A lot of fans around the league pay to watch Kobe, a lot of fans around the world," Pierce said. "Regardless of how the Lakers are doing or not, he's an icon. He's a player who defined his generation. A lot of people that come out here to see him."
"It's just fun. We're one of the last two of our generation," said Pierce, who sat out Tuesday with a toe injury. "That's pretty much a lot of the things we talked about on the court, a little bit of a trash in there.
"But we also said there's no more trash-talkers in the league today coming up. It's a generation that's passing by, and a lot of these guys are friends. I don't think this new generation is as competitive as we were with the past guys."
