“I played for a long time with a torn rotator cuff”: In a 2015 interview, Kobe Bryant disclosed how he played through a horrific injury at the age of 36

Back in January 2015, Kobe Bryant suffered a season-ending rotator cuff injury. The Black Mamba disclosed how he played several games despite sustaining this scary injury.

Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest players to have played in the league. His sheer competitive spirit and the crazy passion for being the best version of himself at any given time was what set him apart from his opponents. Bean dedicated uncountable hours in the gym to perfect his craft, helping him reach the pinnacle of the game. Because of this, Bryant is one of the most accomplished players of all time.

The Black Mamba had a crazy obsession with winning and being the best version of himself at all times. Frankly, very few in NBA history have been close to what all Bryant has achieved on the hardwood. In fact, people also argue that Kobe is one of the most clutch players the league has ever witnessed. And looking at his impressive highlight reel, those arguers would not be wrong at all.

There was nobody who could stop Kobe Bryant from playing the sport he loved so much. In fact, even gruesome injuries couldn’t prevent Kobe to catch a break from the game.

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Kobe Bryant reveals why he played through a dreadful shoulder injury in 2015

Believe it or not, Bryant had suffered over 20 injuries from 1996-2016, missing out on over 140 games. However, during the tail end of his career, the Mamba didn’t let a horrendous shoulder injury force him to be side-lined.

After playing only 6 of the 82 games in the 2013-2014 season following an Achilles tear, Bryant suffered yet another season (2014-2015) ending injury in the January of 2015, as his right rotator cuff tore.

During an interview with Ahmad Rashad, Bryant disclosed the reasons for playing several games through the injury.

“I tore my rotator cuff. The funny thing about it is I’ve been playing with it, I guess, torn for a long time,” Bryant said. “I just never actually got an MRI on it because the strength, even now, the strength in my shoulder is good. It’s fine. I can shoot, but I just keep tearing it more and more and more. So I’ve had this pain for a long time, and it’s just I’ve never actually gotten looked at because the strength was so good.”

At home or on the road, the Mamba knew that there were people who looked forward to watching him play. He further told Rashad how he would want to put on a show, despite his injury, for the fans who came just to watch him play.

“I remember being a kid and going to games expecting to see the players play,” Bryant told Rashad. “It never occurred to me at the time that they might be tired, might be sore, might be sick. It never occurred to me. I just wanted to see them do what they do. I think about that. Doesn’t matter if I’m sick. Doesn’t matter if I have a sprained ankle. The kid that’s sitting in there might be the next me sitting up there watching and trying to get inspiration from that. I need to go out there and play.”

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Clearly, there cannot be any other character quite like Kobe Bryant.