Kobe Bryant moved past Michael Jordan to become the all-time leading NBA All-Star game scorer but the milestone proved costly as the Los Angeles Lakers superstar suffered a broken nose on Sunday.
The 33-year-old American Bryant fractured his nose in the third quarter after being hit in the face by Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, the Lakers announced on Monday.
Wade was assessed a foul for reaching in and striking Bryant with just under nine minutes to go in the quarter.
Bryant finished with 27 points and had 271 career All-Star game points by the end of the 61st NBA All-Star game which was won by the Western Conference 152-149.
A bloodied Bryant stepped up to the free-throw line and sank both shots.
He remained in the game, playing eight minutes in the fourth quarter and helping the West hold off a late charge by East.
“An initial CT scan revealed a nasal fracture and he will be re-evaluated on Tuesday,” Lakers spokesman John Black said on Monday.
The Lakers said they would not know until doctors examined the break on Tuesday whether the four-time All-Star game MVP Bryant would be able to play in the Lakers’ next game on Wednesday against Minnesota.
About four minutes after the Wade elbow, Bryant surpassed Michael Jordan’s previous record of 262 points when he took a pass from Kevin Durant for a dunk in the third quarter.
The injury comes a week after Bryant blasted the Lakers’ management in an expletive-laden outburst as he described his frustration with the way the NBA club was handling the Pau Gasol trade rumours.