LOS ANGELES -- Standing on crutches in front of his locker with his sweaty game uniform on his back and tears in his eyes, Kobe Bryant confirmed the worst news to hit the Los Angeles Lakers in a season already full of heartbreaking disappointments.
Bryant said he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in his left leg in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' 118-116 win over the Golden State Warriors on Friday, putting an end to his season no matter how far L.A. advances in the playoffs should it qualify.
"Just terrible," Bryant said. "It's a terrible feeling, man."
Bryant will undergo an MRI on Saturday, but the team is calling the injury a "probable" and "complete tear."
Bryant fell to the floor with 3:08 remaining in the fourth quarter while being guarded by the Warriors' Harrison Barnes. Bryant had played every minute of the game up to that point, scoring 32 points in the process -- including back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game with 3:45 remaining. "I made a move that I make a million times and it just popped," said Bryant.
Bryant asked Barnes if he had kicked him in the leg. When Barnes said he hadn't, Bryant said he knew that a major injury had occurred.
"I was just hoping it wasn't what I knew it was," Bryant said. "Just trying to walk it off, hoping that the sensation would come back, but no such luck."
Following a timeout, Bryant went back into the game and hit both of his free throw attempts with the injury to end his night with 34 points, five rebounds and four assists before being subbed out for Metta World Peace and heading to the locker room.
