Despite how they may feel on the court, most players in the league, young and old, all respect Kobe Bryant and what he’s done for the game. One of his biggest opponents throughout the years is Paul Pierce and even he lamented over Kobe suffering another season-ending injury.
Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant for years battled for championships on opposite sides of the NBA’s most storied rivalry. Pierce’s Celtics won in 2008, while Bryant’s Lakers won a rematch two years later.
Pierce on Tuesday lamented Bryant’s latest injury, a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder that will require surgery and is expected to keep Bryant sidelined for the remainder of the 2014-15 season.
“It always saddens me, knowing that Kobe, who is one of my NBA brothers, we lose [him] due to injury,” Pierce said during shootaround before the Washington Wizards beat the Lakers 98-92 at Staples Center. “It always saddens me.”
“A lot of fans around the league pay to watch Kobe, a lot of fans around the world,” Pierce said. “Regardless of how the Lakers are doing or not, he’s an icon. He’s a player who defined his generation. A lot of people that come out here come to see him.”
