Late Thursday afternoon, Kobe Bryant was officially named a starter for the Western Conference at the 2015 NBA All-Star Game. Deserving or not, fans vote for the starters, and Bryant has a strong global following that supports the star.
Seemingly, Bryant never has a dull day, and Thursday provided another glorious example of up and down day that was anything but ordinary for the 36-year-old.
As the day started, several sports and media outlets paid tribute to the anniversary of Bryant's incredible 81-point game. Nine years had passed since the second greatest individual scoring performance in an NBA game. Tributes, videos and images reminded fans of how great Bryant was in his prime.
By early afternoon, the top story had shifted. An MRI on Bryant's shoulder had returned to show a torn rotator cuff, and Bryant's season appeared to be in jeopardy. Suddenly, the 81-point man was in danger of not scoring any more points this season. He would immediately hop a flight to Los Angeles, and doctors would examine the 19-year veteran on Friday to determine whether surgery was required and how long the 36-year-old would be out. If fully torn, several reports suggested Bryant could spend four to six months on the shelf. In that scenario, Bryant's career may be in jeopardy, not only his season.
As fans over Los Angeles began to accept that Bryant may be out for the second half of the season, the NBA announced that the Lakers' star player had been selected as a starter at the All-Star Game. Bryant finished fourth in voting with 1,152,402 votes, meaning he had been selected 17 consecutive times. Bryant's only exclusion from the event came in 1997, when the 18-year-old rookie had not yet reached physical maturity or universal popularity.
Bryant's shoulder injury, however, will determine whether Bryant will be able to take part in the mid-February exhibition game, and more details on that front should emerge on Friday afternoon.
