Kobe Bryant Hyperextends Right Knee

That loud noise you heard late Tuesday evening was not an attack on the nation. Naaahh, it was just the collective gasp of Lakers fans across the country after word of Kobe Bryant injuring his right knee hit the wire. It's not like you can blame them for that (over)reaction, as they just came off a season where a knee injury to star center Andrew Bynum prevented their favorite team from reaching its full potential.

KB24 was injured when he knocked knees with teammate Josh Powell on a rebound attempt late in the first half of Tuesday night's game against the Bobcats. He had four points in 14 minutes of play, but failed to return after limping off the floor late in the second quarter. It looked like this:

Anyhow, Lakers fans can step back from the ledge. Kobe will be fine. It's just a hyperextended knee.

Lakers P.R. guru John Black says the team is listing him as day-to-day, but knowing Kobe's propensity for overcoming injury, he likely won't miss any time at all. As a precaution, the Lakers might want to consider forcing him to sit out the rest of the pre-season. The Lakers will re-examine the knee on Wednesday.