Kobe Bryant suffers torn rotator cuff in right shoulder

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder, the team announced Thursday. It’s unclear how long he will sit, but he is flying back to Los Angeles, where he will meet with team doctors and determine the next course of action.

At the very least, the Lakers’ star will not play in Friday’s game in San Antonio. However, it appears likely that he will sit out for longer than that.

The injury occurred during the Lakers’ 96-80 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Bryant suffered the injury sometime in the third quarter, but still returned to the game and even shot left-handed in an attempt to bring the Lakers back from a deficit. When asked why Bryant returned to the game despite being unable to shoot with his right arm, Lakers coach Byron Scott joked that Bryant “always says” that while he has two arms, he doesn’t necessarily need to use both.

After being the NBA’s iron man for years, Bryant’s body has finally begun to break down following a torn Achilles in 2013. Bryant only played in six games last season due to a knee injury and has missed eight games this year with various minor ailments. The 36-year-old Bryant recently admitted that retirement has at least “crossed my mind,” and Scott also told reporters that the Lakers might consider sitting Bryant until next season if the playoffs are far out of reach in March.

Bryant is averaging 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, but is only shooting 37 percent from the field. Nevertheless, he is expected to be named an All-Star starter. If he plays, it’d be his 16th appearance in the game.