No matter where you stand on the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant, what happened Friday night at Staples in Southern California is bad for the sport of basketball and may spell the end to one of the best careers the NBA has ever seen. 

Fighting for their playoff lives against the cross-state rival Golden State Warriors and staring 47 points from Stephen Curry in the face, Kobe pulled up lame late in the fourth quarter. While the Lakers would go on to win 118-116 after a Curry desperation heave just missed, the bigger story here is what appears to be a season-ending Achilles injury from the five-time NBA Champion and 15-time All Star. 

At 34-years-old and looking at a possible 12-to-18 month recovery time, this could spell the end of Bryant's Hall of Fame career. The win, however costly it might have been, gave the Lakers a full one-game lead over the Utah Jazz for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. 

But, it appears that Kobe will not be a part of those postseason festivities should his team inch its way in. 

The larger question here is whether Kobe will call it quits. If not, will he ever return to be the same player that many of us grew up idolizing? Personally, I would rather see him go out like this than attempt to return as a shell of his former self. 

To Kobe, I may have cracked on you and the Lakers for some time now; but, you don't deserve what happened to you tonight. You were one of the best that I have ever seen play and I don't want to see your return take away from the memories I have. Remember, Michael Jordan on the Washington Wizards? 

If this is it, Kobe's career will go down as one of the greatest in the history of the league. It's just sad that it might have ended on a Friday night for a Lakers' team fighting for its playoff life. 

eDraft will keep you updated on the information as it becomes available. Lakers have scheduled an MRI to confirm what is expect to be a torn Achilles.