Watch Kobe Bryant avoid trying to dunk, barely lay ball in
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant is renowned for his fadeaway jump shot, but he's been known to put defenders on a poster if given a step.
Now that he's 37 years old, though, Bryant can't get up like he used to -- and sometimes barely at all.
Against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night, Bryant caught a full-court pass from rookie teammate D'Angelo Russell and went up for a semi-contested basket.
Under normal circumstances, Bryant would've slammed the ball home. But given his current state, Bryant didn't even try to dunk, choosing to instead lay the ball up over the rim ... barely:
Bryant has only dunked the ball four times this season, according to Basketball-Reference.com, and just 12 times over the past three seasons. This shouldn't necessarily be a surprise anymore.
But it's still odd to see a player who used to glide through the air now be bound to the ground.
Jovan Buha covers the NBA for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter: @jovanbuha.
