Kobe Bryant: Black Mamba Proves Even a Face Mask Can't Slow Him Down

Kobe Bryant might have been playing with a broken nose and immediately following a concussion scare, but that didn’t stop the superstar from having one of the great games we have come to expect from him over the years.

Despite having a gorgeous 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, Kobe did not look pretty doing it.

He was forced to wear an unsightly and sweaty clear plastic mask that Rip Hamilton has made popular in the NBA.

I'm sure he could care less as the Lakeshow rolled the Timberwolves, 104-85.

It certainly did not mess with his rhythm, as he made a cool nine-of-10 attempts from the free-throw line and was 11-of-23 from the field.

The only thing it may have impacted was his long-range shooting, as he missed all four attempts from deep.

No. 24 was forced to wear the mask because of an injury suffered after a hard foul by Dwyane Wade during the All-Star Game, of all places.

The Lakers star broke his nose and was concussed on the play, leading to speculation that he would sit Wednesday’s game out.

Fortunately, the Black Mamba was able to pass the numerous NBA-mandated tests and was declared symptom free by Dr. Vern Williams before the contest.

The only thing that was even of minor concern for Kobe’s health were the two separate massages he received in the third quarter.

He scored 12 points in between them, so they must have been beneficial.  

The future Hall of Fame shooting guard helped his team beat Minnesota for the 17th consecutive time and yet again foiled the T'Wolves, who cannot figure out how to get past their rivals in LA.

It’s insane to think that this guy was able to have such a huge impact on the game after such a short time removed from a concussion and other injuries.

Coach Mike Brown said it best, according to the Associated Press.

“Kobe is a special human being,” Brown said. “I don’t have answers for him. I don’t know what he’s made of. He’s just different. His body reacts different.”

The man is simply superhuman.