The last three times Kobe Bryant has dunked, he missed the Lakers' next game
— Dan Feldman (@DanFeldmanNBA) December 20, 2015 Kobe Bryant misses games to recover from every dunk
Kobe Bryant dunking in his 20th year of his NBA career is definitely something to marvel at—but it’s not good. Sure, the immediate fanfare after Kobe dunking deserves celebration but it should also carry with it some apprehension.
It turns out that a dunking Kobe is actually a very bad thing, especially for fans that want to watch Kobe’s next game. In the last three times that Bryant has dunked, he missed the next game.
Kobe threw down a vintage slam on Houston Rockets center Clint Capela on Thursday, invigorating fans everywhere with the thought that old Kobe still has it. He does, but he needs some rest so he is sitting out the next game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Prior to that, he dunked against the Pelicans at New Orleans on January 21st and against the Indiana Pacers on January 4th at home. He only took a a game off after Indiana, but his season ended in New Orleans after a torn rotator cuff.
2016 is also repeating the pattern. After dunking in Boston against the Celtics, Kobe is sitting out against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Kobe Bryant will not play tonight against Philly due to a sore right shoulder.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 1, 2016
Can we create a special ‘DNP-dunk’ injury report for the Black Mamba?
