Watch it again, when Bryant hit the ground he had control and on top of that his knee hit before the ball came out.
He caught the ball. Once again a subjective call by the refs on review. Way too many post play reviews, let the rulings on the field stand as they used to and move on.
“If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.”
The referee commentating for CBS said he would have reversed and why. The reversal was correct. But, the rule is a joke and should be changed.