"He was miserable" - Ex-Lakers guard reveals Kobe Bryant's locker room frustration after pushing through injuries late in career

Several injuries marred the latter end of Kobe Bryant's legendary career. His former LA Lakers teammate, Nick Young, recalled the challenges Bryant faced during that period.

On Tuesday's "Gil's Arena," Young spoke about Bryant's frustration as he dealt with setbacks.

"Kobe didn't get a chance to do all that because he was hurt," Young said. "I think after he got hurt, seeing him in the locker room. Like, he was miserable. Like he was mad, like he wanted to get out there bad, but he couldn't."

Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the 2012-13 season. It ended his season after he underwent surgery. He returned the following year, but this comeback was short-lived. He played only six games before he suffered a lateral tibial plateau fracture in his left knee. It required another season-ending surgery for the then-35-year-old Bryant.

Bryant's 2014-15 season was also plagued with an injury, he had a rotator cuff tear in his right shoulder. It needed another surgery. He played only 35 games that season and averaged 22.3 points but shot a career-low 37.3%.

A combination of injuries and declining performance marked his final season in 2015-16. He announced his retirement in November 2015. He played 66 games, averaging 17.6 points on just 35.8% shooting.

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Kobe Bryant ranked higher than LeBron James by former NBA player

For all his legendary status in the league and the LA Lakers, Kobe Bryant is not always in the NBA GOAT conversation. However, former NBA player Matt Barnes, on a Feb. 23 episode of "Gil's Arena," ranked him in his top three NBA players above LeBron James.

"I feel the three greatest players of all time are MJ, Kobe and Bron," Barnes said. "So to me, you can throw any of those three up, and however you slot them, I don't have an issue."

"It's weird that I feel like outside of the non-athlete media, always kind of leaves Kobe out of the top five or, you know, sometimes the top ten, and it's crazy because the guys that played with him or against him understand what he was about, understand that killer instinct he had."

While fans will have a hard time wrapping their heads around this comparison both players are legends and have cemented their legacy in NBA.