‘Laker for life’ Kobe Bryant says he won’t sign elsewhere
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant passes the ball around Nets forward Joe Johnson (7) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Nov. 6, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)
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Reporting from Brooklyn — No matter what happens to Kobe Bryant over the next several months, he offered one guarantee Friday.
He won’t sign with a more championship-ready team when his contract expires next summer.
“I’m a Laker for life. I’m not playing anywhere else, no matter what,” he said Saturday. “It’s just not going to happen.”
Bryant is starting to hit NBA arenas one last time, maybe, spending Friday night at Barclays Center as the Lakers beat the Brooklyn Nets, 104-98.
He didn’t shoot well, scoring 18 points on five-for-16 accuracy, but you could sense something slightly emotional in him. This might be his last basketball weekend in New York, the Lakers playing the Knicks on Sunday.
One last possible trip to Madison Square Garden has gone through his mind, undeniably.
“Oh, of course. Absolutely,” he said. “Is it a little different this time around? Yeah.”
Bryant lit up the Garden plenty of times over the years, most famously a 61-point outburst in 2009 that set a record there at the time. (Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony eventually topped him with 62 points last year against Charlotte.)
Bryant makes $25 million in the last year of his contract and hasn’t committed to coming back next season. Even he can’t tell the future, he contends.
He definitely doesn’t want scoreboard video tributes or high-end designer gifts as he makes his way through NBA cities.
“Don’t do that. No. No,” he said, practically cringing at the concept of a farewell tour.
He has something else in mind, his own offering of what he’d like from opposing fans.
“I’d rather enjoy the hostility. That’s why I love going on the road,” he said. “That’s what I’ve always enjoyed throughout my career, is that road hostility. That’s showing respect for what I’ve done.”
Bryant genuinely covets the role of sinister on-court heartbreaker. At the same time, he showed a softer side when detailing his approach to Sunday’s game.
“Try to appreciate as much as you can,” he said. “But it still goes by in a flash.”
It was a brief insight into Bryant. And then it was gone. Just the way he’d want it.
World Peace again
Metta World Peace logged his first playing time in his NBA comeback, totaling three points and three rebounds in 17 minutes against Brooklyn.
He made a three-pointer from the side and blocked Jarrett Jack’s shot out of bounds.
“I’m not going to lie. It all felt good,” said World Peace, who did not play in the league last season.
His contract does not become guaranteed until early January.
Nance’s debut
It wasn’t a great beginning for rookie forward Larry Nance Jr. — three fouls in his first seven NBA minutes.
He calmed down, though, and finished with six points and five rebounds.
Nance, drafted 27th overall, connected on two midrange baseline jump shots but had a fourth-quarter dunk attempt blocked by Brook Lopez.
Twitter: Mike_Bresnahan
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