Kobe Bryant will reportedly miss the remainder of the 2013-2014 season as he recovers from a knee fracture. The news was first reported on Wednesday by ESPN’s Chris Broussard. The team is expected to make an announcement later this week.
Bryant played in just six games this season after missing the first 19 games while recovering from Achilles surgery. He has been out since Dec. 17 with a fracture of the lateral tibial plateau in his knee. He signed a two-year, $48.5 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers back in November.
On Tuesday, Kobe did not sound all that optimistic about his rehab.
“It’s progressing slowly. It really tests my patience,” he said. ”There’s only so much I can do. I find myself relegated to a bike. The first few weeks, it’s cool. I’m getting a good workout in. Third or fourth, I’m thinking I need to do something else. I want to play. I want to run. I want to do something different. But you got to do what you got to do.”
Bryant was reportedly still experiencing pain and swelling in the knee as of last month. Team physician Dr. Steve Lombardo said at the time that Kobe would be reevaluated in three weeks, which would make sense given the latest news.
The Lakers are 22-42 and would require a miracle to make the playoffs. There’s simply no reason to rush Kobe back with the type of money the team invested in him earlier this season.
