Rapist to be suspended for elbowing Miller

[Blackout]

Updated: Dec. 30, 2005, 3:13 PM ET

Bryant to be suspended for elbowing Grizzlies' MillerESPN.com news services

Kobe Bryant's elbow Wednesday night to the throat of Memphis' Mike Miller will result in a suspension from the league office to be announced Friday, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports.

Bryant

Contact above the shoulders, when deemed to be intentional, generally results in a suspension of one or two games.

The Lakers don't play again until Sunday, when they host Utah.

Bryant sustained an inch-long cut near his left eye early in the third quarter Wednesday night after taking an elbow from a driving Miller.

The Los Angeles Times quoted Bryant as shouting, "I'll be back" as he left the court for treatment. In the fourth quarter, when Miller drove down the lane, Bryant drilled Miller with an elbow to the chin, earning a flagrant foul.

"Any player that was going to come down the lane at that particular time, I was going to let them know that they just can't walk through here," Bryant told reporters after the game. "I think we as a team have to do a better job of establishing that, and me as the leader of the ballclub, I have to take initiative to do that.

"Hopefully everybody else will see that, especially this being our home court. People come here and think it's Hollywood and all this other stuff, and they'll come down and look pretty and shoot jump shots and dunk the ball and stand over the ball and all this other cute stuff. We've got to stop that."

Any game Bryant misses through suspension would cost him $144,971.59 in salary.

[Jets28]

1....you should stop the name calling. Thats not cool..secondly I think Kobe can afford the fine. He shouldnt have elbowed dude. It did seem on purpose but he had just got hurt himself and blind person could have seen that coming. He's just trying to act tough. Now he can take that tough suspension and fine...