The Los Angeles Lakers announced Wednesday that they are shutting down Kobe Bryant for the remainder of the preseason.
Bryant has been battling a sore right foot during the preseason. Wednesday’s move is to allow the perennial All-Star guard to rest the foot as much as possible in preparation for when the regular season begins on Oct. 30 when the Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 30 at the Staples Center.
Although the Lakers only have two more preseason games remaining, those days coupled with seven other days will allow Bryant to have nine full days of rest from the date he incurred the injury, when he accidentally made contact with a Kings player, which occurred in this past Sunday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings.
The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday said Bryant called his foot “pretty sore,” adding “It’s always frustrating to have these frank accidents. It really upsets me.”
At the same time, Bryant didn’t seem overly concerned about the severity of the injury, saying, “It will slow me down a little bit. I’ve been going full-bore pretty much every day. It’s probably a good thing.”
Bryant had already appeared in five preseason games for Los Angeles, averaging 20.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in nearly 27 minutes per game.