No Lakers-centric links post this week would be complete without a reference to the team’s most widely-covered news of the week surrounding it’s most celebrated player. So, let’s get that out of the way, first. In an interview which has been well-documented, Kobe Bryant spoke with Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports and discussed a variety of […]
Kobe
Kobe Bryant Talks Retirement & Much More in Interview
Kobe Bryant is currently in China on what has become his yearly summer trek, engaging with fans, telling his story, and further embedding himself as the most popular basketballer in Asia. Seriously, when you watch clips of him there or see photos, he’s like a one-man Coachella. The fans there love him and he loves […]
Kobe Bryant on Playing Small Forward: “I Can Do That.”
There is a real possibility the Lakers will lose two franchise icons at the end of this upcoming season. The first, as we told you earlier, is Gary Vitti, who has announced he will retire at the end of the 2015-16 season. The second, of course, is Kobe Bryant. Kobe has not outright said he […]
Lakers’ Young Players Will Need More than Mentoring from Kobe
When Kobe Bryant has been discussed in relation to the Lakers’ recent draft picks and young talent, the word mentor is one of the first words likely spoken. During summer league, announcers consistently spoke about how much D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle could learn from Kobe — a process that, for Randle already began last […]
Kobe Bryant Opens Up in TV & Print Interivews
Despite being injured, Kobe Bryant is still the Laker who most moves the needle when it comes to fans. Despite the Lakers’ awful record, his season ending injury, and his, compared to previous standards, sub-par play, he was still voted into the All-Star game as a starter and the release of the 10th iteration of […]
Kobe Bryant’s Fate Puts Fans in Awkward Position
Whatever is left of Kobe Bryant will ultimately result in dividing some of his most loyal fans. The news that a rotator cuff injury will probably prematurely end another season – third straight – for Kobe brings joy to no one. Not the league, not the fans, opponents or those covering basketball. Bryant is simply […]
Report: MRI Reveals Torn Right Rotator Cuff for Kobe
The Lakers don’t have an injury bug, they have an injury parasite that eats away at their innards like a ravenous zombie in the Walking Dead. Update: Kobe Bryant had an MRI exam, preliminary results show a tear of the rotator cuff. He will fly back to LA. pic.twitter.com/EOZTuuKjoL — Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January […]
Kobe Bryant and Another Milestone Reached
Kobe Bryant and I are the same age (he also, coincidentally, shares a birthday with my older brother). Some 19 years ago when Kobe stood at a podium with his Oakley sunglasses propped up on his forehead to announce that he was taking his talents to the NBA, I too was transitioning to that next […]
Kobe Bryant, Efficiency, and a Need for Change
It was the end of the game and Kobe was talking to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com and TWC Sportsnet. He was describing the team’s win, but also how sore his body was after games and some of what he would do to recover to play the next game. Kobe had played nearly 36 minutes and […]
Classic Video: Chick Hearn Interviews Kobe Day After 1st Career Start
One of my favorite parts of the old Lakers’ telecasts on KCAL Channel 9 was Chick Hearn interviewing players from the Lakers and the opposing team. The interviews would often air during the pre-game or halftime show and would always give some insight or an anecdote that you likely weren’t going to get from anywhere […]