Stay up to day with the latest news, updates, and press conferences from your Los Angeles Lakers.
****UPDATE: Bryant’s fever went down before the game, and his temperature was at a normal level. He will start. Phil Jackson also said that Pau Gasol would miss his fourth straight game, and that the MRI of Gasol’s hamstring had not yet come in to the team.
Lakers spokesman John Black confirmed that Kobe Bryant has a fever and a sore throat, and is listed as “questionable” for tonight’s game against Oklahoma City.
The Lakers did not play well in Friday night’s 94-80 loss to Dallas (OK, they did the opposite).
Yet coming off an emotional Ring Night win to open the season and again playing without Pau Gasol, a loss in October wasn’t exactly the end of the world for the Lakers.
That, of course, didn’t mean that Kobe Bryant was at all interested in losing again.
So on Sunday against Atlanta, he scored 31 points in three quarters to open a 22-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, then checked back in to thwart a Hawks’ comeback attempt that had cut L.A.’s lead to 10 points with just over four minutes remaining. When the final buzzer sounded, Bryant had amassed 41 points, eight rebounds, three assists and five steals to lead the Lakers to their second victory of the young season.
As good as he was, and as easily as he found the bottom of the bucket, Bryant credited the outstanding defensive energy of Ron Artest (who locked up Joe Johnson after he had scored 18 first quarter points mostly on Bryant) and the all-around play of Lamar Odom (who nearly reached a triple-double with 11 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists) without mentioning his own name.
But it was Bryant who came out in attack mode particularly to start the game and the second half, almost as if to let his teammates and the Hawks know how things would turn out before they got any other ideas. The Finals MVP went for 13 points in an otherwise tepid first quarter as the Lakers held a two-point lead, then exploded in the third for 14 more points to turn a six-point halftime edge into a 22-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Not that it was a surprise to anyone in the building. After all, of L.A.’s 17 regular season losses last season, only four came in back-to-back style, and Atlanta’s Maurice Evans - who used to guard Bryant in practice when he was a Laker - was wary of No. 24’s expectations prior to the game.
“You have to focus on bringing the effort and energy for 48 minutes or as long as you’re out there because he doesn’t have weaknesses,” said Evans. ” He constantly attacks and he’s constantly effective out there, so if you don’t match his energy he’ll just roll over you.”
“Roll over” the Hawks did not, but they also had no answer whatsoever for Bryant.
Since Evans comes off the bench for Atlanta, the first time he saw Kobe face-to-face came with 3:16 left in the first quarter, and Bryant faced him up about 17 feet away from the basket. Evans stayed off Kobe a few feet, attempting to take away driving lanes, so Bryant simply rose up and nailed a jumper for his 10th point of the quarter. Evans was more successful on Bryant’s next shot, a turnaround fadeaway from nearly the same spot, but when Evans lost Bryant in transition three possessions later, Kobe sprinted to the corner and knocked down a three-pointer. What Evans had yet to see was Bryant on the block.
“I think that as he gets older his body takes more of a beating, so if he’s able to get it in a good position down low, he doesn’t have to expend as much energy to score the ball,” Evans said. “I’d almost prefer to see him on the block, because that way you can get quick help from a double-team. But out there on the perimeter, he has everything at his disposal.”
A quick injury note: Lakers guard Kobe Bryant missed Monday’s practice with a sore left foot, but is listed as “probable” on L.A.’s injury report.
Bryant is expected to start against the Clippers for L.A.’s 7:30 p.m. tipoff at STAPLES Center.
The full press release is below:
LONDON, Oct. 1, 2009 – Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers tops the list of most popular NBA jerseys in Europe for the second straight year. Coming off his fourth NBA title in 2009, Bryant also has the most popular jersey in the U.S. The top four most popular jerseys remain unchanged from last year with Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics at No. 2, Pau Gasol of the Lakers at No.3 and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 4. The Most Popular NBA Jerseys in Europe list is based on sales from retail locations across Europe during the 2008-09 NBA season.
Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat moves up three spots from last year to No. 5 and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic makes his first appearance on the list at No. 7. Chicago’s Joakim Noah, who visits London on Oct. 6 when the Bulls take on the Utah Jazz during NBA Europe Live presented by EA Sports, also makes his first appearance on the list.
Eight of the top 15 players on the list hail from Europe. They include Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs (No. 6), Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon of the Toronto Raptors (No. 8 and No. 9, respectively), Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks (No. 11), Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trailblazers (No. 12), Marco Belinelli of the Golden State Warriors (No. 13) and Noah (No.14). International players make up approximately 20 percent of NBA rosters.
The NBA’s merchandising business in Europe consists of over 60 partners distributing NBA products to more than 16,000 retail locations. International sales account for 30 percent of the league’s overall global merchandise business.
Top 15 Most Popular NBA Jerseys in Europe:1. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
2. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
3. Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
4. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
5. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
6. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
7. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
8. Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors
9. Jose Calderon, Toronto Raptors
10. Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
11. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
12. Rudy Fernandez, Portland Trailblazers
13. Marco Belinelli, Golden State Warriors
14. Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls
15. Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards
From L.A.’s PR desk:
Los Angeles Lakers guard and 2009 NBA Finals MVP Kobe Bryant is Sporting News‘ NBA player of the decade.
The honor is part of a 14-page tribute to the athletes, coaches and teams of the 2000s in the new issue of the magazine, which arrives this week at all Barnes & Noble, Borders and Hudson Retail outlets. SN honored one athlete in each sport and enlisted the help of teammates, coaches and legends to make a case for both the winner and runner-up.
Said former teammate Shaquille O’Neal of Bryant: “The thing about Kobe is that, over the course of my career, I have never played with anyone who was as fierce as he is. By fierce I mean just having that extra killer instinct that you know when the game is on the line he is not going to shy away from the big shot, he is not going to make excuses. If we would go into the fourth quarter, playoffs or just some game in the season and we were within a little bit of the other team, Kobe was not going to shy away from the challenge of getting the win. He was going to take the shots.”
Bryant was SN’s player of the year in 2008. But 2009 was his favorite. “This year meant a lot,” he told SN. “We won a championship. It was satisfying, very satisfying, because we put in a lot of time and effort to fix things and get better. It’s a great memory. I feel that we just had such a great team, such a fun team, from our chemistry to the way we executed. We went through some years and years of frustration to get to that point.”
Bryant also made SN’s NBA all-decade team:
FIRST
G Steve Nash
G Kobe Bryant
F Tim Duncan
F LeBron James
C Shaquille O’Neal
SECOND
G Allen Iverson
G Dwyane Wade
F Dirk Nowitzki
F Kevin Garnett
C Yao Ming
With an Amazon River-long list of accomplishments already to his name, it would seem that Kobe Bryant would at least be old enough to run for President, right?
Nope. Not for four more years of moment-building, anyway (by then the list could be closer in length to the Nile).
Bryant turned 31 on Sunday, August 23rd, prompting us to enlist the help of Lakers fans – via our @LakersReporter Twitter account – to amass a list of 31 highlights from the 2009 NBA Finals MVP’s career. At the end of the day, no list can fully encapsulate one of the world’s best athletes, but hopefully we detailed many of Kobe Bean Bryant’s best moments and most impressive accomplishments:
On his Twitter feed this past Sunday, Lamar Odom offered some off-court words to his on-court leader:
“Happy Birthday to my boy, Kobe Bryant.”
Odom’s words came in honor of Bryant’s 31st birthday, putting a bookend on the year Kobe won his first NBA Finals MVP award in culmination of his fourth championship with the Lakers.
On our end, we’re assembling a list featuring 31 of Kobe’s most memorable NBA moments, set to go out in the next day or two.
Should there be a moment you’d like to make sure isn’t missed, send a tweet to @LakersReporter.
Kobe Bryant did not opt out of his current deal and remains under contract with the Lakers for two more seasons, according to Lakers spokesman John Black.
The Finals MVP will once again have an option to opt out of his contract at the conclusion of the coming 2009-10 season, while the team is guaranteed to Bryant through 2010-11.
This information, confirmed due to the July 1 deadline for the ETO (early termination option) clause in Bryant’s contract, came as no surprise. Bryant had steadily insisted throughout the season and in his exit interview that his contract was not an issue: “You know I’m not going anywhere,” he said.
As Josh Powell and D.J. Mbenga are now under contract through next season and the team has until August 1 to decide whether or not to terminate Sun Yue’s contract, the Lakers currently have 11 players under contract for 2009-10.
Unrestricted free agents Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza and Shannon Brown are allowed to speak with any interested parties - including the Lakers - during the ongoing free agency moratorium period which lasts through July 7.
All-Star Co-MVP; First Team All-NBA; NBA All-Defensive First Team … And, the big one, NBA Finals MVP after L.A.’s championship victory over Orlando.
The accolades describe Kobe Bryant’s 2008-09 quite well, as do the numbers: 26.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists with 1.46 steals on 46.7 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from three and 85.6 percent from the line in 36.1 minutes per game. In the playoffs, Bryant picked his numbers up to 30.2 points, 5.3 boards, 5.5 assists, 1.65 steals and 0.91 blocks on 45.7 percent from the field, 34.9 from three and 88.3 from the charity stripe in 40.9 minutes.
Bryant’s focused drive to the championship that began in the offseason filtered its way through his teammates, and ultimately, his fourth title was the result.
Here are the highlights from Bryant’s exit interview:
- His immediate plans: “I’ll take a couple months off. I’m going to enjoy (myself), it’s going to be very relaxing, no evil flashbacks. Everything is very positive.”
- On how he’s feeling after all the work: “Extremely satisfying because you put in a lot of time and effort to fix things, and to see it finally happen, it’s great. It’s a great memory.”
- Bryant, who notoriously doesn’t sleep much, said he’s looking for activities to do at six in the morning.
- He said his daughters want him around the house all the time, and recognize that the season is over. So his “Daddy has to do an exit meeting” was met with a “I thought you said it was over!”
- On Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom coming back: “Extremely critical. Those are pieces that are tough to find. We have such a great team from chemistry down to execution. It’s rare you find guys that are so talented that are willing to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the group.”
- Meeting for Kobe, Phil and Mitch is all “BS ing.” They already know each other, he says, there’s nothing to talk about. It’s not like Kobe needs any basketball tips.
- On his finger: “I won a championship, I’m not fixing a damn thing.”
- Kobe went with his “I can’t even read” defense when talking about his contract and whether or not he would opt out. “I’ve been deflecting that all year, I ain’t gonna stop now. I’m not going anywhere, you know I’m not going anywhere. It’s a waste of our breath.”
- Bryant says he will “definitely” go watch his favorite soccer team, FC Barcelona, when they come to L.A.
- On how far the team has come: “Ownership made the necessary steps to put us in this position. They made the sacrifices to get the necessary players in here.”
Who but Kobe Bryant could have been the first recipient of the newly-named Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award after the Lakers handily defeated the Orlando Magic 99-86 to cap a 4-1 series victory?
While his numbers told the story just fine - Bryant averaged team-high 32.4 points and 7.4 assists, plus 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks on 45.7 percent shooting in five games - it was No. 24’s ability to lead his team both physically and mentally that stood out most impressively.
The title was the fourth of Bryant’s career, but he had yet to earn Finals MVP accolades, which went to Shaquille O’Neal in L.A.’s 2000-2002 three-peat. That Bryant was the clear lead dog in the 2009 race, and that his teammates so heartily bought into his mission put the accomplishment at the “top of the list,” in his words.
After the game, a joyous Bryant addressed a slew of reporters; Here’s the quote transcription:
LAKERS GUARD KOBE BRYANT:
Q. As you well know, Phil Jackson now, 10 championships, most in history. What is it that makes him such a great coach in your opinion?
KOBE BRYANT: I think it’s his ability to bring people together. That’s the biggest thing that he does so well is he continues to coach the group, continues to coach unity and chemistry and togetherness, and that’s the biggest thing, because when you’re together, you can with stand adversity. If you’re not, you can easily break apart and become a team of individuals. That’s his biggest characteristic of what he does well.
Q. Can you talk about the impact that Pau has had on this team in the 17 months he’s been with you guys?
KOBE BRYANT: Pau is I think the thing that helped us get to this level was the improvements that he made defensively. He did a terrific job defensively for us all year, and particularly in this series. Offensively his capabilities are limitless. He’s a dominant post up player, extremely versatile, makes great decisions, and obviously when we got him last year, that really took us to that next step.
Q. How is this different from your previous three rings?
KOBE BRYANT: Well, I just don’t have to hear that criticism, that idiotic criticism anymore. That’s the biggest thing. I don’t have to hear that stuff anymore. For us with the collection of guys that are so young and having gone through what we went through last year and having the goal in mind of trying to get back to this point, and to have the attitude of we’re going to become a better defensive team, better rebounding team, and then to actually do it and to see it all happen, it feels like I’m dreaming right now. I can’t believe this moment is here.
Q. You hit that three, put you up 83 67, they called time out, you went to the bench and paused. Was that the moment it hit you it was within your grasp?
KOBE BRYANT: Yeah, that was the shot that I was measuring the whole time. I knew I had to knock it down because they were starting to surge. I could feel it. It was a 13 point game and I could feel a surge coming. That shot, I knew if I was able to knock it down it would deflate them a little bit and buy us another minute, and that’s why I did that.
Q. What did it feel like when you finally realized the moment was at hand?
KOBE BRYANT: It felt like a big old monkey was off my back. It felt so good to be able to have this moment. We tried not to envision it too much, you know what I mean, because you just get too excited. You try not to think about it, just think about playing the game, and for this moment to be here and to reflect back on the season and everything that you’ve been through, it’s top of the list, man.
Continue reading ‘Kobe Bryant: 2009 Finals MVP’
FROM LAKERS.com
