The reason why we love Kobe Bryant is whether it was his mind, body, or soul, he give it his all to the Lakers. Even when he was injured, he refused to take time off, even though he should have. Here are five instances of when the legend played despite being injured.
Kobe injured his back during the 2008 WCSF against the Utah Jazz. During the series, there were times he was listed as questionable but he always showed up at tip-off. Back injuries require days, if not weeks, to recover from. But Kobe didn't care. He didn't miss any game up until the NBA finals where he lost to Kevin Garnett and the Celtics.
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Before Kobe suffered an injury to his back, he tore the ligament of his shooting hand months before he met the Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals. He was supposed to mix 6 weeks but he believed that as long as he could walk, he would play. The Lakers went on to win 9 of their next 10 games, finishing first in the West.
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This is one of the injuries Kobe got not quite overcome like the others. However, when he drove the ball late in the fourth quarter, only to go down in excruciating pain, he walked back onto the court to take the free throws. This is one of the most iconic moments of his career.
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Kobe was going for a jump shot on the right-wing, when Jalen Rose pulls a dirty move by undercutting him, giving him no space to land. This led to Kobe leaving Game 3. However, he was a complete force of nature in Game 4 and eventually won his first NBA title.
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The injured occurred on December 2009 when he suffered an avulsion fracture in two places near the tip of the finger which takes about 6 weeks for it to heal completely. Kobe being Kobe, passed up surgery and ended that season as the fifth-best scorer in the NBA and led the team to a title.
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