Kobe Bryant got the Los Angeles Lakers’ franchise scoring record, but the Memphis Grizzlies spoiled the celebration.

Bryant scored 44 points, passing Jerry West as the Lakers’ career scorer, but it wasn’t enough as the Grizzlies got 22 points and 17 rebounds from Zach Randolph to defeat the Lakers 95-93 on Monday night.

“It’s a great honor to say the least [because] of the great players that have played here and the tradition we have,” Bryant said of becoming the Lakers’ career leading scorer. “[West] taught me so much when I was 17 years old. He showed me a lot about the game, the jump shot and spin moves and all the others.

“Even though it’s me passing him in the record books, it’s still us, and it’s still Magic and all the other great players.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Kobe Bryant dealt with an aggravated back injury like any multimillionaire, superstar athlete would — he called his longtime massage therapist in Santa Monica, got him on a red-eye flight to Texas, then spent more than three hours Wednesday morning going through a deep-tissue treatment.


And after all that, Bryant played only 11 minutes in the first half and took one measly shot, a 3-point attempt that never had a chance of going in.

Yet Bryant somehow went from stiff to loose after halftime, playing the entire second half to avoid from tightening up again on the bench, and added to his lengthy list of dramatic finishes by making the go-ahead basket with 28 seconds left, sending the Los Angeles Lakers to a 100-95 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night in a matchup of the top two teams in the Western Conference.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Lakers coach Phil Jackson says he is “hopeful” Ron Artest will rejoin the team in Los Angeles for Tuesday’s game against Golden State.


Speaking before the Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns 118-103 on Monday night, Jackson said Artest still was experiencing some dizziness.

A team spokesman told ESPN.com that Artest was examined by a neurologist on Monday. He did not accompany the team to Phoenix and will not play in Monday night’s game. He also did not play Saturday against Sacramento

Artest sustained a concussion and injured his left elbow in a fall at his home on Christmas Day. The team said Artest tripped over a box and fell down stairs.

He did not travel with the Lakers on their two-game trip to Sacramento and Phoenix.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

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When the Lakers boarded a row of double-decker buses for their championship parade in June, they should have left one seat open, reserved for Good Fortune.


They managed to keep almost everybody off the injured list, an often-overlooked part of their successful season.

Kobe Bryant played in all 105 of their games. Pau Gasol played in 104. So did Derek Fisher. Andrew Bynum missed 32 because of a torn knee ligament, but his replacement in the starting lineup, Lamar Odom, missed only four games.

With a handful of days until they begin their title defense, however, the Lakers are already dealing with injuries.


Click here to read the full article – By Mike Bresnahan of Los Angeles Times

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The finish line is nowhere in sight.

There are miles still to be run. Pounds still to be lifted. There are baskets still to be made and passes still to be completed before Lakers point guard Derek Fisher calls it quits.

Yes, he turned 35 during the offseason.

No, he’s not ready to retire from the game.

How long he continues in his present role is anyone’s guess, however.

Even he sounded unsure when he spoke about his future Tuesday afternoon.

What is clear is that he’s approaching the 2009-10 season just like it was any of the other 13 he’s played in the NBA. He’s not ready or willing to step aside simply because there are two energetic young studs poised to take his place.

Yes, there is increased competition at point guard during training camp.

No, there is not likely to be a changing of the guard – at least not this season.

“Until somebody tells me something different, I’m going after everything I can get on every opportunity, on every possession,” said Fisher, who is in the final season of a three-year contract he signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2007.

“You can’t just show up at training camp and think your body is going to respond the way it needs to, to have the impact that you want to have. I guess if I was just kind of hanging on, maybe the offseason wouldn’t mean as much to me.”

So, Fisher worked out with Peter Park, who has served as the strength and conditioning coach for cyclist Lance Armstrong, during the summer. As a result, Fisher showed up for training camp, older, wiser and just as fit as ever.

Click here to read the full article – By Elliot Teaford of DailyNews.com

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Lamar Odom and the Los Angeles Lakers had reached an agreement on annual salary before the Lakers pulled out of contract talks with their versatile sixth man, sources with knowledge of the talks said on Tuesday.

Sources told ESPN.com that Odom and the Lakers had reached an accord entering the weekend on a per-season wage of $9 million for the 29-year-old. But Odom balked at L.A.’s unwillingness to extend an offer spanning more than three years in length and spent the past few days weighing his options. The Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site earlier Tuesday night that Lakers owner Jerry Buss, upset that he was still waiting for Odom’s response, has decided to take the offer off the table. Yet one source told ESPN.com that Odom was never given a deadline to accept or pass on the Lakers’ three-year, $27 million pitch.

Click here to read the full article – By Marc Stein of ESPN.com

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With one eye toward free agency and another toward the bank, the Lakers sold two of their picks in Thursday’s NBA draft for a combined $4.5 million.

The Lakers sat out the first round for a second consecutive season, selling the 29th overall pick to the New York Knicks for $3 million. Then they sent the 42nd overall pick to the Miami Heat for $1.5 million. In both deals, the Lakers also received a 2011 second-round pick. All told, the Lakers are $6.2 million richer than they were before the draft, raking in $4.5 million while saving another $1.7 million that would have been guaranteed to the 29th pick over the next two seasons.

Aritcle by Mike Bresnahan Los Angeles Times on June 26, 2009
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