Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade’s Hard Foul Puts Kobe Bryant As Questionable: Bryant “I Don’t Forget Anything”
February 29, 2012 Leave a comment
With just under nine minuets to go in the 2012 NBA All Star game, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant received a pass from Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul. Bryant was posting up Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade when he then spun and immediately after receiving the pass and beat Wade taken him baseline to the hoop when Wade, who clearly got beat by Bryant then through his hands around Bryant’s face, which would result in a foul and a Bryant grabbing his face in pain.
Right away it was clear that Wade’s foul was a hard foul and completely unnecessary due to the fact that it was just an All Star game. After taking his hand off of his face the injury that Bryant suffered became very clear that it was some what serious as he was bleeding from his left nostril. Knowing this Bryant would make his way over to his bench to receive medical treatment to stop the bleeding. Remaining in the game however, after the bleeding was contained, Bryant would remain in the game make his two free throws and head back on defense.
Bryant would go onto finish the game out scoring nine more points, including a record breaking dunk which made him the new all time leading scorer in NBA All Star history.
As for Wade he would say this after the game, “I don’t know if anybody wants me to get down on my knees in front of the world and [apologize],” Wade said. “Like I said, I sent my apologies to Kobe, and I move on from it.”
After undergoing more tests after the game they would find out that it wasn’t just a bloody nose that Bryant suffered and in fact it was a fractured nose as well as a concussion that he suffered from Wade’s hard hit.
“He knows it’s no ill intent on me to do that,” Wade said. “Did I take a foul? Yes, I took a foul. So, talk about me for taking a foul. But I never wanted that kind of outcome.”
Well fast forwarding to Wednesday now, Bryant’s status for the Lakers first game back from the All Star break against the Minnesota Timberwolves is in question as the fractured nose isn’t a problem as Bryant has played through a fractured nose before when he was in high school just fine as that year he lead Lower Merion High School to a State Championship, however it was the concussion that he suffered that makes him questionable.
Now why is he questionable for Wednesday’s game tonight, when on Sunday when he first endured the concussion he remained in the game and finished it out? Well the reason is that due to league rules Bryant has to pass a series of tests before being cleared again and until being cleared he will not be able to play, no matter how bad he wants too.
Luckily for Bryant according to a team spokesman, Bryant has been concussion free since late Tuesday and has passed his first two tests, the first one, a neurological exam which is a baseline test for concussion management which they compare his results from a pre-season test that he had to his test results to his current one and if they match up well or better, then he passes, which he did.
The next test that Bryant passed was a stationary bike test and treadmill test while visiting with Dr. Vernon Williams, a board certified neurologist in Anaheim, California.
After passing that test, Bryant returned the Lakers practice facility where he would play a game of 2-on-2 which would be monitored by the Lakers staff. So if he passed that full contact basketball test and remains symptom free then he’ll be able to suit up and take on the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night.
Now Bryant has yet to comment on all of this or comment about how he felt about Wade’s foul, though I’m sure that answer will come soon enough as the Lakers host Wade and the Heat this Sunday at 3:30 Eastern Time on ABC.
Like Bryant said back in 2010 after winning his fifth ring “You guys know how I am. I don’t forget anything.”