Kobe’s confident in Lakers: ‘We will make the playoffs’
“Steve takes that stuff to heart, man, but I really don’t care. As a teammate, you have to be there to support but you also have to drive a hard bargain at times. So, Steve, that really hit home for him.” With Howard out of the picture, Bryant is working his way back to the place that’s felt like home for the past 17 seasons — on the court, playing in a Lakers uniform. “It’s progressing faster than everybody expected,” Bryant said of his recovery from the Achilles tendon surgery he underwent in April. “I should be able to be more active with conditioning in the middle of August, which is like four months after the surgery. More on the Lakers For more news, notes and analysis of the Lakers, check out the Lakers Index. Blog “It’s crazy, but I’ve been very, very fortunate to be able to have [Lakers head physical therapist] Judy [Seto] travel with me absolutely everywhere, be with me all the time, and I was fortunate to be able to go in and have the procedure done the next day [after rupturing the tendon]. I think all that’s helped.” While Bryant is normally a very active participant in his basketball academy, his Achilles rehab is forcing him to slow down this summer.
Kobe Bryant dishes on Celtics
After undergoing surgery, he was given a recovery time of nine to 12 months. However, all indications are that he’s well ahead of that schedule. A return date hasn’t been made official, but Bryant hasn’t ruled out returning on opening night of the season, when the Lakers face the Los Angeles Clippers on October 29. Bryant is coming off one of his best seasons in years, averaging 27.3 points, 6.0 assists and 5.6 rebounds a game while shooting 46.3% from the field. He played all but four games for the up-and-down Lakers, earning first-team All-NBA honors as Los Angeles slipped into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season with the No. 7 seed. KOBE: Watch his awesome new Nike commercial Without Bryant, the Lakers were swept by the eventual Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Then Dwight Howard, Metta World Peace and Earl Clark all left the team this offseason, leaving Los Angeles in a precarious position, particularly if Bryant doesn’t return quickly. The Lakers still have aging stars Steve Nash and Pau Gasol but are weak on the wings, likely starting two of Jodie Meeks, Nick Young and Wesley Johnson at shooting guard and small forward.
Kobe Bryant’s 1963 Chevrolet Impala can be yours for (at least) $100,000 (Photos)
8 Houston in the Western Conference — should hold off on issuing the playoff tickets just yet. If you can’t beat your hated rivals with a newly printed JB on your chest , an homage to the man who was probably the greatest owner in the history of sports, you might as well mail in the rest of February and all of March. This game was tailor-made for the Lakers, and they tailored it. I tried to measure it against what I had seen in Los Angeles during a week of reporting a story for this week’s Sports Illustrated. ( Click here to subscribe to the magazine.) There has been much talk about Dwight Howard, who had a sweet game on Wednesday with 24 points and 12 rebounds in only 30 minutes, but, when you talk Lake Show, you have to first talk Bryant. And one of the things I noticed about him last week was that he had absolutely not tuned out on the season. Not that he should — he’s making almost $28 million this season — but he remains outwardly upbeat and confident. [ Photo Gallery: Rare pictures of Kobe Bryant ] At Lakers practice after a 1-for-8 shooting night against Phoenix on Feb.
Kobe Bryant to take September trip to Abu Dhabi and Dubai before camp
Perhaps the 1963 specs are too much of a hassle for his recovering Achilles tendon, even if the car does house an automatic transmission. It can be yours on eBay , with a starting bid of $100,000. From the auctions website : Complete restoration on a rust-free vehicle, taken down to bare metal prior to painting. The car was completely disassembled prior to paint and reassembled using new glass, re-plated chrome and new stainless steel trim pieces. Very Recent Tuneup and Complete Battery Replacement. Sale Includes Bryant’s Registration, Insurance Card and Title for this Vehicle. The car, obviously, houses an eight-cylinder engine, a 327 cubic inch noisemaker that produced 275 horsepower in its day. There are just 23,000 miles on the odometer.
If Bryant is out for a significant amount of time, it will hurt even more. “We just didn’t make any shots,” said Steve Nash, who went 4 of 14 and missed a couple of easy drives. “I feel like I killed us tonight. I had good looks at the basket. I didn’t convert.” Led by Harris, six players scored in double figures for Atlanta. Korver had 15, Horford 14, Johnson and Jenkins 12 apiece, and Johan Petro 10. After scoring just three points in the first half, Bryant was unstoppable in the third.
Kobe Bryant says Achilles tendon feels ‘really good’
In turn, Goldin sued Kobe Bryant, asking a judge for clarification over the items ownership because the auction house paid $450,000 as an advance to his mother in January, which she used for a new home in Nevada. Five years ago, she had asked her son what he wanted to do with the items, but he had no interest in them, the lawsuit filed by Goldin said. Pamela Bryant also indicated that her son gave these items to her stating, here mom, these are for you, the complaint said. Goldin said he was thrilled that they reached a settlement, the terms of which he declined to disclose. Bryants attorney,Mark D. Campbell of law firm Loeb & Loeb LLP, said Bryant would not comment on the matter but provided a statement to ABC News: On behalf of Loeb &Loebs client Kobe Bryant, we are pleased to announce that a settlement has been reached in the dispute involving his mother, Pamela Bryant, andGoldinAuctions over the proposed auctioning of Kobe Bryant sports memorabilia. The terms of the settlement are confidential. Joe and Pamela Bryant said in a statement, We regret our actions and statements Kobe Bryant Shoes related to the Kobe Bryant auction memorabilia.We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we have caused our son and appreciate the financial support he has provided over the years. We also apologize to Goldin Auctions for their inadvertent involvement in this matter and thank them for their assistance. See more photos of expensive auction items: Warren Buffetts $1 Million Lunch Though the number of Bryants items available to be auctioned dropped by 90 percent with this recent settlement, Goldin said he is very happy with the latest selection. The six items from Bryant include two of Bryants Lower Merion High School uniforms, a 1996 Magics Roundball Classic All Star medallion and ribbon, his 2000 NBA All-Star game ring, andtwo NBA championship rings issued by the Lakers and gifted by Kobe to Joe Bryant. Goldin said five of the six items have potential to be six-figure items with a couple well into the six figures.Fifty percent of four of Bryants items will be donated to a charity to be announced later, he said.
Kobe Bryant Settles With Auction House After Spat With Mom
Bryant’s first stop Sept. 26 will be at the capital of the United Arab Emirates, where he’ll hold a youth basketball clinic. On Sept. 27, Bryant will coach Team Black Mamba against the Real Madrid Basketball Legends in Dubai. Rapper DeAndre Cortex Way, better known as Soulja Boy, will play on Bryant’s squad. Former Spanish basketball player Juan Antonio Corbalan will coach the Real Madrid team. After the game, Bryant will judge a slam dunk contest. Bryant is still recovering from the Achilles injury that sidelined him April 12. It’s unclear whether he’ll be able to play by the season opener Oct. 29.
Kobe Bryant injury darkens Lakers loss to Hawks
There’s no banter back and forth. I guess it’s a generational thing. When I first came into the league, the trash talk was downright cutthroat.” One thing still hasn’t changed. Only one team can win it all, and the rest go home disappointed. It’s a mindset Kobe understands all too well, but one he must impart to some of his new Lakers teammates, Dwight Howard among them. Bryant has publicly challenged Howard in recent days to play through a shoulder injury, particularly now with Gasol out indefinitely. “We need some urgency,” he explained. “Dwight has never been in a position where someone has driven him as hard as I have, as hard as this organization has.
Motherhood Uncensored 