LA Lakers centre Pau Gasol admits the season-ending Achilles injury to superstar team-mate Kobe Bryant is hard to swallow.
Bryant suffered the season-ending injury in last week’s 118-116 victory over Golden State Warriors with the side still chasing a spot in the playoffs.
However, Bryant’s injury, even if LA make the playoffs, effectively ends their season, with no realistic chance of the side winning the NBA title.
“It’s a tough hit, it’s a tough blow for everyone,” Gasol said.
“It’s difficult to digest what happened.”
Meanwhile, Bryant spoke re-lived the moment of the injury, stating: “I made a move that I made 100 times and it just popped.”