KOBE BRYANT
Coach K: U.S. players not 'going to sell shoes'
Mike Krzyzewski has piled up the national championships, coaching awards and conference titles during nearly three decades at Duke. The Hall of Fame coach insists there's plenty of room in his trophy case for an honor of even higher significance. "Someone asked (Kobe Bryant), on your mantle, what (awards) would have the highest place? The gold medal," Krzyzewski said Wednesday. "And all the guys would say, and have said, 'What's more important? The gold medal. Playing for our country.
Having a Gaye Old Time - USA Minicamp Notebook
Everybody knows that Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are on the U.S. Men's Senior National Team about to compete in the Beijing Olympics, but did anybody expect that Marvin Gaye would be a surprise member of USA Basketball this summer? - Read More...
Shaq loses another badge for rap about Kobe
Shaquille O'Neal's raunchy rap in which he mocked former teammate Kobe Bryant is costing him another of his lawman badges. Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown said Wednesday that he has asked the Phoenix Suns center to return a badge he was given for his work with the southwest Virginia county's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The best of Shaq vs. Kobe
Shaq's recent rap on Kobe Bryant is just the latest shot to be fired in the ex-teammates' feud. Jeff Gordon recaps the highlights.
Sheriff wants Shaq's badges back after Kobe rap
Shaquille O'Neal will lose his special deputy's badge in Maricopa County because of language he used in a rap video that mocks former teammate Kobe Bryant. - Read More...
Shaq rap takes on Kobe, doles out the blame
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant shared three NBA championships. And not much more.
Shaq rap takes on Kobe, doles out the blame
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant shared three NBA championships. And not much more.
Not music to Kobe's ears: Shaq rap rips Bryant
In a rap song on Sunday night, Shaquille O'Neal ripped Kobe Bryant. - Read More...
James, Bryant to lead US team
LeBron James will get another shot at Olympic gold, and this time, he'll have reigning MVP Kobe Bryant. James and Bryant, making his first Olympic appearance, will lead a U.S. team that hopes to capture the gold medal in Beijing in August after a third-place showing in Athens four years ago. They'll have plenty of help. Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Jason Kidd were among the 12 players placed on the team Monday.
No surprises: LeBron, Kobe top Team USA roster
LeBron James will get another shot at Olympic gold, and this time, he'll have reigning MVP Kobe Bryant. - Read More...
Kobe Bryant: 'I'm Comfortable With What We Have'
Jonathan Abrams of the LOS ANGELES TIMES writes, "Kobe Bryant left Lakers headquarters today in a much better mood than a year ago, when he was obviously unhappy with the team's management. He didn't offer, at least in public, any calls for a change. Just a smile at a job (almost) completed. `I'm comfortable with what we have,' Bryant said, when asked if the management team led by General Manager Mitch Kupchak had personnel moves to make this off-season. `Whatever Mitch decides to do, he decides to do.'" - Read More...
Bynum's Return Should Make Lakers Stronger
Although the Lakers' season ended with a thud, they have Andrew Bynum coming back and youth and Kobe Bryant on their side, so they can say "Wait 'til next year'' and be taken seriously. - Read More...
Kobe, Lakers don't have enough vs. Celtics
The best player was no match for the best team. Even Kobe Bryant couldn't solve Boston's suffocating defense in the NBA finals, which ended Tuesday night when the Celtics crushed the Los Angeles Lakers 131-92 in Game 6. Bryant knew all along the Celtics were going to force someone besides him to beat them, and there was nobody else in purple and gold up for the job.
2008 NBA Finals: Game Five - Celtics 98, Lakers 103
The Fig Cap: Kobe slamming it home to stay alive! Well, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers held serve, as well as elimination from the NBA Finals, as they beat... - Read More...
The 'Young, Dumb' Survivors
Just about 180 minutes after arguably the greatest individual athlete of any solo sport today, Tiger Woods, holed a 12-foot putt to force a playoff on Monday in the U.S. Open, 120 miles up Interstate 5 from there at the STAPLES Center, perhaps the greatest individual athlete of any team sport today, Kobe Bryant, came up with a clutch steal followed by a breakout dunk on the other end to assure his Los Angeles Lakers team would live to play another day in The Finals. - Read More...
Kobe: "It Ain't Over"
With the same purpose as one of his in-your-face jumpers, Kobe Bryant leaned into the microphone. "The series ain't over,'' he said. "It's far from over.'' - Read More...
Kobe not feeling pressure, says Finals 'ain't over'
Faced with long odds, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers returned to the practice floor Saturday for the first time since Game 4, when the Boston Celtics stormed back from a 24-point deficit to win and take a 3-1 lead in this reborn rivalry. - Read More...
Kobe, Lakers suffer gutting loss in Game 4
Even Kobe Bryant couldn't save the Los Angeles Lakers, who find themselves on the brink of elimination after one of the biggest collapses in NBA finals history. The Lakers led Boston by as many as 24 points in the second quarter and by 20 midway through the third before the Celtics rallied for a 97-91 victory Thursday night and a 3-1 series lead. No team has ever come back from such a deficit in the finals. "We let a huge opportunity slip away," Bryant said.
Lakers Need a Group Effort to Help Kobe Bryant
In the BOSTON HERALD, Kevin Ding writes "when Kobe Bryant was just a boy shooting balled-up socks - two pairs rolled into one worked just right - at a crayon mark on the wall for a basket, it was a whole different ballgame. Now that he's the marked man of the NBA, defenses stack up between him and the basket in an even more imposing way than Bryant's mom announcing it was time for bed. He no longer has the simple life, especially in the current NBA Finals against Boston's league-best defense that openly uses the term "wall" in reference to protecting its basket. The Lakers lost the first two games before Bryant decided to turn his motor on and leave it on Tuesday night in Game 3. He got where he wanted and needed to go. He scored 36 of the Lakers' 87 points. He won." - Read More...
Kobe's star illuminates Lakers' victory in Game 3
As stars for both teams came up short, Kobe Bryant rose to the occasion when the Lakers needed him in Game 3, Charley Rosen says.
Lakers edge Celtics in Game 3
It wasn't pretty, but the Lakers will take it. Kobe Bryant scored 36 points as L.A. sliced Boston's lead to 2-1 in the NBA Finals.
Jackson: Jump shot Jesus has returned
Jump shot Jesus is back, but it is his defense on Kobe Bryant that has marked Ray Allen's return, Scoop Jackson writes. - Read More...
Verdict still out on Kobe's legacy
Despite winning multiple NBA titles and virtual unanimous concession as pro basketball's pre-eminent uber-force, Kobe Bryant ...
Celtics Squash Late Lakers Rally for 2-0 Lead
Boston's defense mobbed Kobe Bryant long enough and unknown Leon Powe scored 21 points as the Celtics held off a remarkable Los Angeles rally for a 108-102 win over the Lakers on Sunday night. - Read More...
Kobe's Teammates Wear His Sneakers
When Ronny Turiaf entered the league three years ago as a lowly second-round pick he approached Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant with a question. Instead of asking him, "Can I have your autograph??, the request was more like, "Can I wear your signature?" As in Bryant's signature sneaker, the Nike Zoom Kobe. - Read More...
ESPY nominees announced in 37 categories
Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez are the contenders for best male athlete as the ESPY nominees have been announced. - Read More...
Rose Wants To Be MVP -- As Rookie
In the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, Jay Mariotti writes "welcome to the first day of the rest of a city's sporting life. I feel that fuzzy about Derrick Rose, Chicago's own, the point guard of an expectant basketball town's fantasies. Rose shares our giddiness, apparently, declaring on NBA draft eve that his goal next season is to be the league's Most Valuable Player. That's what the man said: MVP, Year 1. Personally, I'll settle for much better than Kirk Hinrich, but the teen from Englewood aches to make history, plotting his five-year path to glory for the gathered media in New York. ?Not a star, but like, a superstar,' he told ESPN.com. ?Something around, like, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, something like that.'" - Read More...
Bad rap: Shaq loses another lawman's badge
Shaquille O'Neal's raunchy rap in which he mocked former teammate Kobe Bryant is costing him another of his lawman badges. - Read More...
Shaq gets slapped by sheriff for Kobe rap
Shaquille O'Neal will lose his special deputy's badge in Maricopa County because of language he used in a rap video that mocks former teammate Kobe Bryant. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the Phoenix Suns center's use of a racially derogatory word and other foul language left him no choice. Arpaio made Shaq a special deputy in January and promoted him to colonel of his largely ceremonial posse earlier this month.
Golden dreams for U.S. Olympic basketball squad
LeBron James will get another shot at Olympic gold, and this time, he'll have reigning MVP Kobe Bryant alongside.
2008 NBA Finals: Game Six - Lakers 92, Celtics 131
The Fig Cap: Number 17 for the Celtics... the first for KG and the Truth. It wasn't even close. After Kobe Bryant started on fire, but then crashed by missing... - Read More...
Shaq takes shots at Kobe in rap
Just when you thought the war of words between Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant had finally been laid to rest, the battle now appears to be back on.
Golden dreams for U.S. Olympic basketball squad
LeBron James will get another shot at Olympic gold, and this time, he'll have reigning MVP Kobe Bryant alongside.
USA Basketball Announces 12-Member 2008 Men's Senior National Team
Featuring Olympic gold medalist Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) and four 2004 Olympians, USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo today announced the 12-players who will represent the United States in the Aug. 8-24 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, China. The player selections were approved by the USA Basketball Executive Committee, and will be nominated to the United States Olympic Committee to participate in the 2008 Olympic Games. Named to the 2008 USA Basketball Senior National Team were: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz); Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Kidd; Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets); Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons); Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks); Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat); and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz). - Read More...
USA Basketball Announces 12-Member 2008 Men's Senior National Team
Featuring Olympic gold medalist Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) and four 2004 Olympians, USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo today announced the 12-players who will represent the United States in the Aug. 8-24 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, China. The player selections were approved by the USA Basketball Executive Committee, and will be nominated to the United States Olympic Committee to participate in the 2008 Olympic Games. Named to the 2008 USA Basketball Senior National Team were: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz); Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Kidd; Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets); Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons); Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks); Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat); and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz). - Read More...
Kobe satisfied with Lakers roster, looking forward
Kobe Bryant says he's satisfied with the roster the Lakers have and with their future prospects for a championship, according to Los Angeles-area media reports. - Read More...
Kobe's play less than legendary in Finals
A season of redemption ended in disappointment for Kobe Bryant. His Finals performance won't help his legacy, Jeff Goodman says.
Bryant becomes sporadic force for L.A. in Game 5
As his Los Angeles Lakers sputtered along in the NBA Finals against the Paul Pierce-turbocharged Boston Celtics, Kobe Bryant ...
Kobe Won't Force, Says Lakers Don't Need to
The greatest closer in the NBA instead focused on being a quick starter in Game 5.Kobe Bryant's teammates picked up the slack from there, and that's why the Los Angeles Lakers are still alive in the NBA finals. - Read More...
Lakers Survive Celtics' Rallies
Kobe Bryant scored 25 points, including a decisive dunk in the final minute - and Lamar Odom added 20 as the Lakers, playing with pride on their star-studded stage, prevented the Celtics from winning a 17th title with a 103-98 win in Game 5 on Sunday. - Read More...
Kobe says series is far from over
With the same purpose as one of his in-your-face jumpers, Kobe Bryant leaned into the microphone. He promised more NBA finals games to come. "The series ain't over," he said. "It's far from over." Faced with long odds, Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers returned to the practice floor Saturday for the first time since Game 4, when the Boston Celtics stormed back from a 24-point deficit to win and take a 3-1 lead in this reborn rivalry. The Lakers have run out of time and tomorrows.
Sorry Phil, this series is over
Phil Jackson can deny it. Kobe Bryant can too. But make no mistake: With the Lakers down 3-1, this series is over, Todd Behrendt says.
Kobe, Laker suffer gutting loss in Game 4
Even Kobe Bryant couldn't save the Los Angeles Lakers, who find themselves on the brink of elimination after one of the biggest collapses in NBA finals history. The Lakers led Boston by as many as 24 points in the second quarter and by 20 midway through the third before the Celtics rallied for a 97-91 victory Thursday night and a 3-1 series lead. No team has ever come back from such a deficit in the finals. "We let a huge opportunity slip away," Bryant said.
Ref's charges of conspiracy linger over NBA finals
If Tim Donaghy's latest allegations are true, Kobe Bryant won his last championship with the help of an NBA conspiracy. And Scot Pollard is still ringless because some guys in suits determined it would be that way. Even with Bryant chasing another title in a marquee NBA finals matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, the league still can't escape the Donaghy mess, now nearly a year after learning the former referee bet on games he officiated.
Bryant Leads Lakers to Game 3 Win
Kobe Bryant was close to MVP form on Tuesday, scoring 36 points on an assortment of spins, drives and jumpers and reserve Sasha Vujacic added 20 points as the Lakers beat the Boston Celtics 87-81 in Game 3. - Read More...
LIVE: Celtics, Lakers playing Game 3
Kobe Bryant scored 19 points in the first half as the Lakers try to climb out of a 2-0 hole in the NBA Finals. Follow Game 3 LIVE.
Verdict still out on Kobe's legacy
Despite winning multiple NBA titles and virtual unanimous concession as pro basketball's pre-eminent uber-force, Kobe Bryant ...
Lakers head home in need of wins
Home better be sweet for the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA finals or they'll be faced with a challenge that's never been met. Yep, they're in a must-win situation, any way you cut it. After their Kobe Bryant-led fourth-quarter comeback from a 24-point deficit fell just short Sunday night, the Lakers headed home from Boston trailing the Celtics 2-0 and aware that an NBA team has never recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series.
NBA Finals Preview: Game 2
Kobe Bryant can bounce back in Game 2, but he needs to change his offensive approach against Boston, Marques Johnson says.
Next hurdle for Bryant's legacy? Celtics mystique
The place is here. The time is now. Opportunity only June provides pounds at Kobe Bryant's door. He wants to be like Mike? So ...