Kobe Bryant Injury: Updates on Lakers Star's Shoulder and Return

In the midst of the best stretch of his final season, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant suffered a shoulder injury and did not play against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 19. However, he has been cleared to return to the court.

Continue for updates.

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Bryant Active vs. Nuggets

Tuesday, Dec. 22

Bryant had 31 points in 32 minutes against the Denver Nuggets.

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Bryant Hitting His Stride

After a wretched start to the season that led Bryant to announce his retirement, the future Hall of Famer turned a corner over the past week. During a three-game stretch that started last Saturday, he averaged 23 points per game and shot 53.2 percent from the floor, astronomically above his season mark of 33.9 percent. 

He looked much like the Bryant of old, as SportsNation showed:

Bryant missed 47 games last year while suffering from a torn rotator cuff in addition to the general wear and tear that comes with playing two decades in the league.

If Bryant were content to play a secondary role on the Lakers, both he and the team would arguably benefit. Instead, he is still being treated as the star of the squad, which could be hindering the development of young players like Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and D'Angelo Russell.

Try as they might, the Lakers aren't going to make the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference with or without Bryant playing 30 minutes a night.