After a day of chatter and discussion around the league on whether or not Dahntay Jones' foul on Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was a dirty play, the NBA has made a statement acknowledging that there should have been a foul call made by officials.
"After review at the league office, video replay confirmed that referees missed a foul call on Jones as he challenged Bryant's shot and did not give him the opportunity to land cleanly back on the floor," the league statement said. "Bryant should have been granted two free throws."
Although the statement isn't a consolation prize to Lakers fans, hopefully the NBA will do a better job "protecting shooters", like Kobe said. Bryant is out indefinitely, but is working like crazy to get back on the court.
Bryant started his recovery process of is injured ankle almost immediately following the game. He recently posted a photo on his Twitter account to keep his fans updated with his recovery process.
Bryant stated the injury was the worse he's sustained since the 2000 NBA Finals. He, of course, is referring to Jalen Rose, who admitted later on that he was intentionally attempting to hurt Bryant during the Finals. Kobe stated he didn't want to accuse Jones of attempting to try and hurt him, but did hint at the possibility after the game.
Regardless, the Lakers aren't going to be in very good shape if Bryant isn't able to suit up for an extended period of time.
The Lakers are back in action Friday when they take on the Indiana Pacers, however, according to ESPN, Bryant's chances of making a return during Friday's game are "not good."
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