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Despite a down season both aesthetically and statistically, Kobe Bryant remains popular enough with NBA fans to have been voted in as a starter for the All-Star game in New York City. His torn rotator cuff and surgery to repair it left him unable to play in the exhibition contest, and now it has been revealed that he will not even make an appearance at the event. From Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report:
Bryant is in the early stages after surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, a recovery that is not a pleasant one: considerable ongoing pain and his arm immobilized in a sling.
The NBA usually mandates injured players selected to the All-Star team still appear. But unlike last season, when Bryant was in New Orleans at All-Star Weekend, despite a knee injury that also meant he wouldn't play, Bryant has already been ruled out for the rest of this season. Bryant wasn't determined out for the 2013-14 season until mid-March last year.
It is sad to hear that Bryant is suffering in the aftermath of his surgery, but on the bright side, the NBA is at least being accommodating of the health needs of one of its most significant stars of the last two decades. This seems like the best course of action for both parties.
Get well soon Kobe!