Kobe Bryant Injury: Torn Ligaments and Divorce Test Mamba's Toughness

Kobe Bryant's toughness is legendary, and that trait will get a stiff test early on this season. Already dealing with both a questionable roster and his divorce, now Kobe has to deal with physical peril. Bryant has torn ligaments in his right hand (shooting hand), which could cause him to miss the opener on Christmas Day against the Bulls.

What a great December for the Mamba, right? If things continue on like this, he'll get a punch in the mouth for Christmas.

Throughout Bryant's career, he has stood tall on the basketball court through all setbacks and impediments, self-inflicted and happenstance; the latest set of life hazards are just the newest version.

If anything, I would say that this will be yet another opportunity to find his sanctuary on the court. That is why I'm sure, if humanly possible, Bryant won't allow ligament damage to force him to miss the biggest season opener of his career.

With the lockout, the doubts about him, his team and whether the Clippers are now the kings of LA are too much of a challenge for a man like Kobe to walk away from.

The only way he won't play is if he literally can't shoot and is told that by playing he'll cause himself to miss more time. If it's just a matter of pain, expect to see the scowl, a bunch of dramatic facial machinations and 17 points on Christmas Day.

This is what he does, create or happen upon pain and play through it.