Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant have had many clashes on the NBA court, but the Washington Wizards forward said the injury to the five-time NBA champion and Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard "saddens" him.
Bryant is set to undergo surgery on a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder that is expected to end his season. It could mark the second straight campaign that was cut short by a Bryant ailment.
Pierce, who took on Bryant and the Lakers in the NBA Finals as a member of the Boston Celtics twice, said that he didn't like seeing Bryant's 19th campaign get cut short.
"It always saddens me, knowing that Kobe, who is one of my NBA brothers, we lose [him] due to injury," Pierce said, according to ESPN. "It always saddens me."
The Wizards topped the Lakers 98-92 Tuesday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, but Pierce (toe) didn't play either.
Pierce and the Celtics defeated Bryant and the Lakers in 2008 in the finals, but L.A. gained some revenge in 2010.
Though the Lakers are in re-building mode and Pierce is near the end of his career, Pierce insists people still come to see Bryant play.
"A lot of fans around the league pay to watch Kobe, a lot of fans around the world," Pierce said. "Regardless of how the Lakers are doing or not, he's an icon. He's a player who defined his generation. A lot of people that come out here to see him."
Bryant and Pierce had some banter during their time competing against each other, but Pierce looks back on it fondly.
"It's just fun. We're one of the last two of our generation," said Pierce. "That's pretty much a lot of the things we talked about on the court, a little bit of a trash in there. But we also said there's no more trash-talkers in the league today coming up. It's a generation that's passing by, and a lot of these guys are friends. I don't think this new generation is as competitive as we were with the past guys."
With Bryant gone, the Lakers have a long road to the end of the season as Los Angeles sits at 12-34 and in last place in the Western Conference.
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