Kobe Bryant May Be Hurt But He Can Still Order Rookies Off His Bench

The veteran playing in his 20th season made rookie Larry Nance Jr. get off of the Lakers bench during the first quarter of their game against the Mavericks because, well, he’s Kobe.

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Bryant wasn’t on the bench during the second half of the game, so Nance could enjoy his comfort once again.

As for Bryant’s injury, he missed his ninth game this season because of lingering injury issues. Tuesday night it was his shoulder, but he said he’s missed other games this season due to a strained right Achilles, back issues and just plain rest.

“Soreness with the shoulder, Achilles, I feel like I’ve worked that pretty well, knock on wood, and I feel like I’ve been able to play through that and it feels fine,” Bryant said, via ESPN. “Now, I’ve got to take care of the shoulder. We’ve got a nice stretch coming up, and I want to make sure that this thing’s ready to go.”