EL SEGUNDO, Calif. » Kobe Bryant is expected to miss about six weeks with an injured left knee.

The Lakers said today that an MRI showed Bryant has a fracture of the lateral tibial plateau of his knee.

The team said Bryant had hyperextended the knee in Tuesday night’s game at Memphis.

The injury is the latest setback for the Lakers star, who had only returned to the court on Dec. 8 after nearly eight months away because of a torn Achilles tendon.

Los Angeles had signed the fourth-leading scoring in NBA history to a two-year contract extension last month. Bryant’s new deal is reportedly worth $48.5 million and takes him into his 20th season with the Lakers.