LA Lakers' Byron Scott recalls Kobe Bryant playing through injured right shoulder vs. New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS >> This city conjured up more memories for Lakers coach Byron Scott beyond the tasty seafood, the festive jazz music, his initial success here and his unceremonious firing.

With Kobe Bryant playing when the Lakers visited the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday at Smoothie King Center, Scott also remembered vividly Bryant tearing the rotator cuff in his right shoulder here about a year ago. Before realizing he needed season-ending surgery, Bryant tried to play through his injury. On Jan. 21, 2015, Bryant drove past Pelicans forward Dante Cuingham along the baseline and finished with a dunk. Bryant soon grabbed his right shoulder and believed he just suffered a stinger.

“My shoulder is a little messed up, but I have my left hand,” Scott remembered Bryant saying. “‘I have another hand.’ With how tough he is, he said, ‘I’m good.’”

Scott then reported Lakers trainer Gary Vitti quickly said, “No, get him out.” So Bryant sat with 4:15 remaining in the third quarter to ice his shoulder. Bryant then played with five minutes left in the fourth quarter only to discover he could not use his right shoulder.

So Bryant used his left hand on a tuaround jumper and two hook shots. After Bryant airballed his second left hook attempt. Vitti advised Scott to take Bryant out.

Afterward, the Lakers determined Bryant had aggravated his shoulder, but would need to be reevaluated the following day in San Antonio. Bryant expressed confidence he would not miss any games.

Instead, the Lakers determined he needed season-ending surgery after playing only 35 games in the 2014-15 season. Yet, Bryant did not have surgery until a week later so he could explore various medical options. During that time, Scott reported Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak informed him about Bryant doing something peculiar at the team’s practice facility.

“Mitch called me and said, ‘I’m looking at Kobe down there and he’s shooting jump shots,’” Scott said. “Mitch goes out and sees him and Kobe is looking at him like, ‘See? I can play’ without saying it.”

Bryant quickly leaed otherwise. Scott had expressed remorse that playing Bryant an average of 34.5 minutes per game could have contributed to his injury, an issue both Bryant and the Lakers downplayed.

“It catches up to you. You can will yourself to a point where there is no will you have in you because your body is telling you, ‘No you can’t,’” Scott said. “With him, that’s been his mental capacity. I’m never hurt.”

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A rising star

The progression of Jordan Clarkson took another tu. The Lakers’ second-year guard will compete in NBA’s All-Star skills challenge in Toronto on Feb. 13. The NBA described the competition as a “three-round, obstacle-course competition that tests dribbling, passing agility and 3-point-shooting skills. Clarkson will also play with Lakers rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell in the NBA’s rookie-sophomore game as well as judge the NBA Development League’s dunk contest.

“That’s good. You still want to have an eye on getting into the big contest,” Scott said of Clarkson. “Him being there around so many great players hopefully gives him admiration to want to get better next year to be an All-Star one of these days.”

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