(Update: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports also reported Bryant suffered a mild concussion as well as the broken nose. Two-for-one. Ouch.)
The Lakers announced Sunday night that Kobe Bryant suffered a nasal fracture in the third quarter of the 2012 NBA All-Star Game after a hard foul from Dwyane Wade. Bryant held his nose several times after the play but finished the game, a 152-149 win for the West.
Here’s the play that resulted in the fracture:
The Salt Lake Tribune reported after the game that Bryant was suffering from headaches, and Bryat missed media availability after passing Michael Jordan for all-time scoring leader in All-Star Games. The Orange County Register reports Bryant will return to practice Monday after seeing a specialist and will play next Sunday against Wade’s Heat so it doesn’t sound like this will keep Bryant out any significant time, which isn’t surprising considering everything he’s played through the last two years.
Tough... ahem, break, for Kobe. The play was definitely not an accident, a purposeful foul from Wade in an All-Star Game. So I’m sure Lakers fans will only feel more warm and fuzzies bout Wade after this. It’s unlikely Wade will suffer any punishment for the play, especially with Bryant not missing time.
