As if things could not get any worse for the Los Angeles Lakers, the team announced Thursday that superstar guard Kobe Bryant is now out indefinitely with a tear in his right shoulder.

Bryant sustained his injury during the Lakers' losing game against the New Orleans Pelicans last Wednesday night. The preliminary results of an MRI showed that he had torn his rotator cuff.

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More specifics will be made available when he has been examined by team doctors on Friday.

Last season, Bryant was out for most of the team's games. He only played a total of six due to leg and foot injuries.

Now he has played 35 of 43 Lakers games. He has averaged 22.3 points and 5.6 assists per game. While the stats may be good, his shooting percentage from the field drops to 37.3 percent while three-pointers is at 29.3 percent.

Bryant seemed to be the last ray of hope for the Lakers who are 12-31 in the league. Since Thanksgiving, they were showing improvement with Bryant distributing the ball more. They went 7-13 from then.

Multiple times, Bryant has said that he will be retiring after next season, which is his 20^th season as well as the final year of his contract. However, head coach Byron Scott said earlier this season that he thinks he has what it takes to convince Bryant otherwise. He thinks that strong picks in free agent players could do just the trick.

In December, Scott said that Bryant has a lot left in the tank. He explained that if they could put together something exciting for him, that he could continue playing for the Lakers.

This year, Bryant will be making US$23.5 million this season, while he will be getting US$25 million next year.

However, the fact that Bryant came into the National Basketball Association in the tender age of 18 is beginning to show in the injuries he has. It is the mark of a player who has 47,000 minutes played and has scored more points than Michael Jordan.

TagsLos Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant injury, LA Lakers, basketballl