Kobe Bryant won’t see court again for Lakers this season

Kobe Bryant won’t be back on the court for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Bryant expressed only mild frustration Wednesday after the official announcement of the long-expected decision to shut him down for the year. Bryant’s broken bone in his left knee still hasn’t healed enough for weight-bearing exercise. With just five weeks left in their miserable season, the Lakers elected to preserve their superstar guard for next year, when he’ll be 36. Bryant has played in just six games this season, the shortest in the remarkable career of the fourth-leading scorer in NBA history. He missed the first 19 games after tearing his left Achilles tendon last April, and was back in uniform for just 10 days before fracturing the top of his shinbone in Memphis on Dec. 17. – AP