The Lakers say that Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles. Bryant himself believes that too. It’s the kind of injury that can sideline a player for over a year. Nobody comes back from the injury the same as they once was before.

I am not a Lakers fans and I can’t stand anything associated with the team. But I know basketball and I respect talented players when I see them. That’s Bryant. Despite his selfish ways and his arrogance, it’s part of what makes him a basketball player you just have to watch. He has been so great for so long that you would think that he could play on forever.

But with this injury, it appears that his days as a Laker could be over. His days in the NBA could be on the same boat.

Of course Bryant will try to rehab and return and that’s the kind of competitor he is. He’ll continue to play until he physically can’t do it anymore. That’s what I expect. But if that’s not the way the story ends, it’s a shame that it had to come like this. He is truly one of the all-time greats.