By BRIAN MAHONEY

The Associated Press

NEW YORK – Kobe Bryant was suspended one game without pay by the NBA on Tuesday for striking San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili in the face.

With his Los Angeles Lakers in New York to play the Knicks, Bryant requested an “immediate hearing” with the league office to appeal the suspension. But his request was denied because it would have deviated from standard procedure, and Bryant was still slated to miss the game Tuesday night.

“This is not the process that we use at the NBA. Certainly, in theory, given the fact that the Lakers were in New York, we could have heard an appeal. But again, we never have, as it’s not part of our process,” said Stu Jackson, the league’s chief disciplinarian for on-court actions. “He does have the right to an appeal at a later date. If he were to win that appeal, he would get his money back.”

Bryant’s absence left the Lakers without their leading scorer when they opened an eight-game road trip.

“I’ve been waiting to play here. It’s always been a fun place for me to play here, and I’m surprised. Shocked, by it, actually,” Bryant said. “I unintentionally caught Manu Ginobili. What do you say? It’s a basketball game. You unintentionally catch people with elbows every once in a while.”

Players association spokesman Dan Wasserman said a letter was sent on Bryant’s behalf to the league office requesting the hearing, and that Bryant volunteered to review the videotape and talk to commissioner David Stern or the “appropriate league official.”

“I’m blown away by it. I really am,” Bryant said. “It just makes no sense.”

The play occurred with 2.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ 96-94 overtime loss to the Spurs on Sunday.

“It’s just unintentional,” Bryant added. “I felt horrible about it. It’s just basketball, it happens.”

Jackson disagreed, and offered the NBA’s explanation on a conference call.

“Some of the determining factors were the fact that there was contact made with Ginobili above the shoulders and the fact that this particular action by Kobe was an unnatural basketball motion. Following a shot, he drove a stiff arm in a backward motion and struck Ginobili in the head,” Jackson said. “We did not view this as an inadvertent action.”

No foul was called on the play.

“This blow was so swift in real time that it’s understandable why, in fact, an official would have missed the contact,” Jackson said. “In our view, this was not an attempt to draw a foul.”

Bryant is averaging 28.4 points, 5.5 assists and 5.4 rebounds. Last season, he was suspended for two games without pay for elbowing Mike Miller of the Memphis Grizzlies in the throat – but Jackson said that incident was not a factor in Tuesday’s penalty.