The NBA says Kobe Bryant was fouled on the play that injured his ankle

ACCORDING TO BALL DON'T LIE / YAHOO SPORTS

The top story in the NBA right now, by a wide margin, is the ankle sprain suffered by Kobe Bryant in the final seconds of the Los Angeles Lakers' Wednesday night loss to the Atlanta Hawks. The Lakers are holding on to the last playoff spot in the West by a thread, and losing Bryant for a significant amount of time could cost them a postseason berth. On top of that, discussion of the play itself has become very contentious, with Kobe calling the defense of Hawks wing Dahntay Jones "dirty" and Jones firing back that Bryant was the one to initiate contact.

On Thursday afternoon, the NBA chimed in with its own opinion of the play. According to an official statement from the league, Bryant should have earned two free throws.

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