MIAMI—On Tuesday night, Kobe Bryant walked past a group of reporters and stood with his back to a banner that featured the Los Angeles Lakers' logo outside the visitors' locker room at American Airlines Arena. The Lakers had just tasted a horrendous 101-88 defeat, and Bryant had not played with the official reason provided as "rest."
"I had trouble walking," Bryant caught reporters off guard when he explained the real reason he sat out Tuesday's loss to Miami.
No, Bryant had not hurt his Achilles, fractured his knee or injured his shoulder—the three injuries that ended his previous three seasons. This time, the 37-year-old said his back had not allowed him to play Tuesday night. Wednesday's game in Orlando did not offer any guarantees either. Bryant revealed that he had been treating the issue since training camp, which could help explain his exceptionally poor start to the season.
As Bryant described it Tuesday night, his back made getting out of bed difficult, which made playing an NBA basketball game nearly impossible to imagine.
"You got to think about getting out of bed, sort of rolling over, getting up and getting out--like that type of stuff," Bryant described what he was dealing with.
As recently as Tuesday morning shootaround, Lakers coach Byron Scott had continued a conversation about Bryant hoping to play all 82 games in what is likely the 20-year veteran's final season. That dream died on Tuesday, and a whole new laundry list of concerns was born in its place.
"When he says he can't go, you know he's hurting," Scott said about Bryant. "The level of concern is pretty up there right now."
Scott said he hoped for improvement in Bryant's condition over the following 24 hours, but he would be game planning on no. 24 sitting on the sidelines in Orlando. Bryant expects to receive treatment as the Lakers travel north to Orlando and West to Dallas on Friday.
"It's been that way for the last three years--around the clock treatment--now it's just focusing 90 percent of it on the back, " Bryant said with helpless frustration.
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The superstar revealed that he did not have specific back spasms; rather, he chalked up the soreness to 20 years of professional basketball.
"If I'm healthy, I'll play. If I can't play, I won't, "Bryant summed up matter-of-factly. "The back is really limiting. When the back goes, it's tough."
Bryant finished up, "If I can get out there and play, I will. If I have to play decreased minutes because of it, I will, but if I can walk and perform, I deserve to be out there and playing and the fans deserve to see me out there and playing."
