Yardbarker: Kobe Bryant

Report: Bryant “on board” with Arenas joining Lakers

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:07:42 -0500

Photo by Stephen Dunn | Getty ImagesThere have been multiple rumors over the last couple of weeks concerning potential free agents the Lakers can bring in to improve their roster, and more specifically, their bench production. If it were up to Kobe Bryant, that help would come by way of 3-time all-star guard, Gilbert Arenas. According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports, the Lakers star guard has endorsed the signing of Arenas:Not only do the Lakers intend to take a look at Gilbert Arenas whenever he holds a workout in his attempt to reignite his career, the team also has Bryant’s blessing to sign him, two people familiar with the situation told CBSSports.com. Perhaps just as important, Arenas, 30, has Bryant’s personal stamp of approval. Bryant reached out to Arenas recently through an intermediary to let him know he’s on board with Arenas joining the Lakers. Bryant has reached out to other players this way, most notably Metta World Peace — back when his name was Ron Artest and the Lakers signed him in 2009.There have been conflicting reports that say that Arenas has already held a personal workout with the Lakers in Los Angeles in addition to an open workout for all interested teams in LA. The Lakers currently rank dead last in the NBA in bench scoring and the addition of Arenas would be a low risk/high reward move that would give them a proven scorer to anchor the 2nd unit. If they sign Arenas and he pans out, the Lakers might have a shot of getting back into the title race, if he doesnt pan out, he’ll only be in LA for one year on a prorated league minimum salary.

Kobe recruiting Gilbert Arenas?

2012-02-11 13:21:15

Kobe Bryant has reportedly reached out to free agent Gilbert Arenas, hoping to convince him to join the Lakers and help solidify their inconsistent back court.

Bryant Approves Signing Of Arenas

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:14:03 -0500

Kobe Bryant gave the potential signing his approval.

Video: Jeremy Lin’s “Lin-sational” spin

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:19:46 -0500

The New York Knicks’ Jeremy Lin did a “Lin-sational” spin to nail two of his career-high 38 points against the Los Angeles Lakers' Friday night. Lin lead the Knicks to their fourth win in a row by beating the Lakers, 92-85. "I'm just going to thank my team," Lin said. "It's fun to play basketball with these guys. We respect them a lot. We respect their players. We're just happy to get a win. This is my dream. I'm just thankful to God. This is my dream being lived out."

Kobe Bryant not caught up in 'Linsanity'

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:36:06 -0500

It seems as though the whole world is buzzing about Jeremy Lin's sudden and drastic ascent from total anonymity to New York studded stardom. But one prominent figure apparently is not aboard the LinExpress. Kobe Bryant. After the Lakers' dramatic 88-87 overtime win against Boston on Thursday, Bryant was asked for his thoughts on Jeremy Lin and the craze surrounding the guard that has been dubbed "Linsanity." "What? No idea," Bryant said. "I know who he is but I dont really know whats going on too much with them." When further prodded by reporters, Bryant added, "I dont even know what hes done. Like, I have no idea what you guys are talking about. Ill take a look at the tape tonight though." He'd better. Lin, a Harvard grad with a degree in economics, has gone from being cut by two mediocre NBA teams three months ago -- the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets -- to starring for the Knicks while averaging 25 points and eight assists over the last three games. The alacrity with which Lin rose to prominence is quite shocking. After all, when the Lakers last played New York on Dec. 29, Lin didn't enter the game until L.A. had already clinched the win with 1:39 remaining. When the teams play again Friday evening, things surely will be different. I think its been surprising for everyone, Pau Gasol said of Lin. Obviously, a player that didnt get any minutes, zero minutes, and was sent to the D-League at some point in the season. Pretty much never really done much in this league, and now to put together three games with the numbers that hes playing is pretty surprising to anyone. Lin, a devout Christian who didn't receive any Division I scholarship offers out of high school and acknowledged that his chances of even making the NBA were "very, very, very small," told The Times in October 2010 that making the big league was "a miracle from God." Said Matt Barnes: "A lot of guys in the league just need an opportunity to play. When your coach has confidence in you thats all you really need, because if youre in the NBA you can play, obviously." -- Melissa Rohlin

Kobe Bryant Says He Doesn't 'Even Know' What Jeremy Lin Has Done, Laughs at Idea of Guarding Him (Video)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:51:16 -0500

For the past week, Jeremy Lin-mania -- also known as Linsanity -- has dominated much of the discussion in the NBA. The 6-foot-3 guard has averaged 25.4 points and 8.3 assists the past three games, forcing everyone to take notice and even prompting rapper Mega Ran to write a song about the Harvard alum. Well, everyone except the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, according to WEEI. Bryant touched on a variety of subjects during his postgame interview following L.A.'s overtime win over Boston Thursday, from his thoughts on the Super Bowl to how he told Doc Rivers his son has "big cojones"...

Kobe Bryants Tells Rob Gronkowski to 'Play for the Eagles,' Poses for Picture With Him After Celtics-Lakers Game (Photo)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:38:14 -0500

Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant has never been shy about speaking his mind. So when the Lakers star posed for a picture with Rob Gronkowski after L.A.'s 88-87 overtime victory over the Celtics, he didn't hesitate to tell the Pats' tight end where he thinks he should play next, according to WEEI. "I said 'the Eagles need a tight end.' That's what I told him," Bryant, a Philadelphia native, said. "I'm recruiting. He's phenomenally talented -- just a freak athlete. He shouted at me. I shouted back. It's fun to have those conversations with athletes that you respect." Check out...

Kobe Bryant posed for picture with Rob Gronkowski after Lakers-Celtics game (Photo)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:50:00 -0500

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski attended the Boston Celtics game against the Los Angeles Lakers last night and got a standing ovation from the TD Garden crowd. After the game, he got to meet Lakers star Kobe Bryant, or should I say, Kobe got to meet Gronkowski and pose for a picture with him. Because everyone loves the Gronk. Photo via Glenn Gronkowski. H/T Larry Brown Sports.Holdout Sports is now a member of the Yardbarker Network. Visit us at holdoutsports.com.

Kobe Bryant a Boston Celtics? What could have been…

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:51:08 -0500

While looking over the days’ Celtics/Lakers news, I stumbled across an article from CBS Sports that’s absolutely fascinating. –the photos and video below are courtesy of CBS Sports. In 1996, as the Celtics were trying to recover from the tragic deaths of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis, the Celtics coaching staff, consisting of former Cs, [...]

Is Kobe Bryant Still the Most Despised Player Among Celtics Fans?

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:01:00 -0500

Four or five years ago, Kobe Bryant's status as the most hated basketball player among Celtics fans was undisputed. He was in his prime and still seemed to be the No. 1 obstacle to the Celtics' championship hopes. Bryant still won't be receiving many free meals at Boston eating establishments any time soon, but it's possible that he's no longer public enemy No. 1. Celtics fans have so many other rivals to get through before they can even start worrying about Bryant and the Lakers, Bryant seems to have faded into the background. Carmelo Anthony entered the mix last season...

Kobe Bryant still never satisfied, still confident

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:00:00 -0500

Kobe Bryant is as close as the league has to that Michael Jordan-level of perfectionism. Bryant came into the league and quickly ascended to a superstar- and championship-level of play. He has known nothing but winning. He and Shaquille O'Neal won and fought together and then with each other in the pursuit of greatness. It was no coincidence that Bryant and O'Neal's tug-of-war ended badly when the Lakers lost in the 2004 Finals, a mere two seasons after their three-year reign as champions ended. It was at this point that Bryant knew he needed to win some on his own to secure his legacy. It is safe to say he did that in winning back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 and beating even O'Neal to that coveted fifth title. Now it has been a year since the Lakers were on the top and it is not looking like the Lakers are at the forefront of contenders in the Western Conference. Los Angeles sits at 14-11 and two and a half games behind the Clippers. Yes, the Lakers are getti...

Los Angeles Lakers to Amnesty Metta World Peace?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:19:53 -0500

The Los Angeles Lakers decided not to use their amnesty clause before the start of this season, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t planning to exercise it at some point. While the Lakers enjoy having Ron Artest Metta World Peace on their roster, and he’s very popular with his teammates, general manager Mitch Kupchak is likely to amnesty the man referred to MWP this offseason. World Peace is due more than 7.25 million for the 2012-13 season in the form of a player option he is almost guaranteed to pick up, and is additionally owed more than $7.7 million for 2013-14. With his diminishing skills, there is no way the Lakers can afford to pay him that much. They would also save roughly $7 million in luxury tax money by setting World Peace free. Los Angeles needs to add some younger, more athletic wing players. While Kobe Bryant is having a great season, he clearly needs some help on offense. World Peace has done a great job rehabbing his image with the Lakers. He was invaluable to the te...

Kobe Bryant: Shooting for the scoring leader record

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:00:56 -0500

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers holds a number of records and is arguably one of the top players to ever play the game, but will he end up being the all-time scoring leader for the NBA? Kobe might be saying “Tell me how my ass tastes” as he passes Shaquille O’Neal on the All-Time scoring list as he continues his legacy. He is the youngest NBA player to score 28,500 points in a career and is currently now chasing Wilt Chamberlain for fourth all-time. While Kobe will arguably go down as one of the best players of all time averaging 25.4 points per game. The career scoring leader is currently former Lakers great, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bryant still needs over 9,000 points to reach him, but don’t count him out just yet. Kobe Bryant scored 2,078 points last year and if he continues to do the same he will move up on the all-time list. Averaging 30 points per game he is on pace to score 1,800 points in a shortened season. If Kobe averages 70 games over the ne...

Forbes: Kobe is the top-earning player in the NBA

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:11:36 -0500

Not only is Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant currently leading the NBA in scoring (30.2 ppg as of 1/26), he also tops the League in player earnings according to a report by Forbes.com. According to Forbes, Bryant’s earnings from his NBA salary and endorsement deals is over $53 million for 2012. Unfortunately a large [...]

Top 5 Lakers of All-Time: Did Kobe Make the Cut?

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:00:04 -0500

The Los Angeles Lakers are arguably one of the most elite franchises in professional sports. With 16 NBA Championships dating back to their days in Minneapolis, the Lakers have had a wealth of talented stars that have dazzled the hardwood and helped make the NBA what it is today. Here are the Top 5 Lakers of all-time. 1. Magic Johnson: At 6’9, Earvin “Magic” Johnson redefined the position of point guard. His cat-like instincts and ability find the open man often made it appear as if he had eyes in the back of his head while leaving defenders looking foolish. Magic spent all 13 seasons of his NBA career with the Lakers before retiring prematurely after testing positive for HIV. During his career, Magic scored over 17,000 points but even more impressively finished with over 10,000 assist. That equates to directly contributing to over 37,000 points during his abbreviated NBA career. Johnson led the Lakers to five NBA championships in a nine-year span earning league MVP hon...