Washington Wizards veteran Paul Pierce has revealed that he was sad to hear of Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant suffering another season-ending injury.

Bryant is expected to undergo surgery on Wednesday after he sustained a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, with the procedure set to rule him out for the rest of the year.

"It always saddens me, knowing that Kobe, who is one of my NBA brothers, we lose [him] due to injury," Pierce told reporters.

"It always saddens me. Regardless of how the Lakers are doing or not, he's an icon. He's a player who defined his generation. A lot of people that come out here to see him."

Pierce conceded that the rivalry between the pair hasn't been as intense as in previous years, but he always enjoyed exchanging trash talk with Bryant during games.