Bryant suffers ligament damage

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has torn a ligament in his little finger, the NBA team said yesterday.

Bryant initially hurt the finger, on his right hand, during a game at New Jersey on February 5 and he aggravated it in Thursday's victory at Minnesota.

Doctors have recommended surgery to repair the ligament which would lead to Bryant being out for six weeks but the player intends to finish the season before going under the surgeon's knife.

"My current thinking is to give my finger some treatment and rest for a few days, and hope I can still continue to compete at a high level after that rest," Bryant said.

"I would prefer to delay any surgical procedure until after our Lakers season, and the Olympics. But this is an injury that we have to continue to monitor on a day-to-day basis."

The Lakers lie second in the Pacific Division behind Phoenix.