Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who suffered an Achilles tendon injury during a game on Friday night, will not likely return to playing for up to nine months, the team's trainer Gary Vitti told ESPN.com on Saturday.
Bryant was diagnosed Friday with a probable torn Achilles tendon, the team said.
Bryant was will undergoing an MRI examination Saturday to confirm the diagnosis, according to John Black, the team's vice president of public relations.
"I was just hoping it wasn't what I knew it was," Bryant said. "I was trying to walk it off and hoping that the sensation would come back, but no such luck."
Bryant left Friday's 118-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center with three minutes, six seconds to play after scoring a team- high 34 points.
