USA - Broken nose doesn’t keep Kobe off the court

LOS ANGELES (NBA/Olympics) - Kobe Bryant has had a career that will one day land him in the Hall of Fame.

In the eyes of many, Bryant, an American who will go for a second gold medal in as many Olympics this summer, is unstoppable.

That is true even when he plays a basketball game just a couple of days after suffering a broken nose.

Bryant could have taken the easy route and sat out of Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves but with the Los Angeles Lakers battling away just to make the Western Conference play-offs, he chose to wear a mask and fight through the pain barrier.

By the end of the game, the Lakers had won 104-85 and Bryant had poured in 31 points, grabbed seven rebounds and handed out eight assists.

"Kobe is Kobe," Lakers coach Mike Brown said.

"I don't think he ever wants to sit out.

"If he had two broken legs (he would say), 'Tape this one and staple this one and let's go.'"

It's that attitude that makes Bryant a lock to make Team USA's Olympic squad.

When USA Basketball were naming the finalists for the team, coach Mike Krzyzewski said an injury would have to be "something very, very serious" to prevent Bryant from travelling to England to compete at the Olympics.

"He's about championships," Krzyzewski said.

"I mean, we need him.

"We need him because of that mentality and to be one of the leaders for our team."

FIBA