• Home
• News
• Features
• Facebook Game
• Community
  • Activity
  • Members
• Media
• Kobe Academy
• Store

Bryant Helps Displaced Staff Members

---

Players are given some incentives when they reach the playoffs, and even more when they have series wins. Kobe Bryant had other plans than just keeping it to himself. Instead, he insisted on splitting the team's playoff bonus between to two members of the Lakers' video department, Chris Bodaken and Patrick O'Keefe, whose contracts were not renewed after the season. Both Bodaken and O'Keefe have spent many years with the organization, and the the players decided that others needed the help more than them. Bodaken, who has been with the Lakers since 1986, spent the last 10 seasons as their director of video services. O'Keefe, on the other hand, was the Lakers' video coordinator for six seasons. "He (Bryant) always looks out for people who are lower on the totem pole," shares O'Keefe. Chris Bodaken added, "At the end of the day, he told us he was going to take care of us and he did, and that's not how most people in the world operate. He not only talks the talk. He walks it."Continue reading

Kobe Bryant Hits Game Winner in Drew League

---

It doesn't matter where the game is played, who he is playing against, or if it is a Pro-Am game, Kobe Bryant is the best closer in basketball. He displayed, yet again, his end game heroics in the Drew League where he hit a game winner to give his team a 139-137 victory. Bryant finished the game with 43 points to his name, but the last two were obviously the biggest. The whole crowd was chanting "Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!" knowing that he was going to take the final shot of the game. When it went it, in true Black Mamba fashion, he put his hands up to celebrate another buzzer-beater. Dino Smiley, the commissioner of the Drew League said, "He was fresh. His spring, his jump shot was nice. Getting to the basket. His jab steps and his foot work. Everything was very good." The league was built to bring the best high school, college, and even pro basketball players back to the communities. Kobe definitely showed he was back with the 19-foot jumper at the buzzer.Continue reading

Bryant Wants Second Gold Medal

---

After leading Team USA to a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Kobe Bryant wants to add more to his trophy case. A second gold finish is what the Black Mamba is after now and he will be putting on that red, white, and blue at the upcoming 2012 Olympic games in London.

Bryant is the first to commit to the team, and there will be more players to join him as the summer games near. But with the man that lead them to a top finish last time out already on the line-up, the rest will most definitely be signing up sooner than later. Jerry Colangelo, the head of USA Basketball, already said that others are starting to follow suit. "I haven't even really started reaching out, and I'm feeling calls," he said Friday. "They're calling me. They're calling me to say they're playing."

Continue reading

Bryant Moves From Court to Pitch

---

Kobe Bryant had a weekend filled with nothing but soccer. Playing in the fourth annual Celebrity Soccer Challenge, hosted by Mia Hamm. He then followed it up by heading to the Manchester United versus FC Barcelona exhibition match, which drew in more than 81,000 fans.

In the Celebrity Soccer Challenge, Bryant teamed up with U.S. Women’s team star Alex Morgan, Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola and the Washington Redskins' D'Angelo Hall. On the opposing side were USWNT's Ali Krieger and Heather O'Reilly, plus Stat Boy from ESPN.

But it was the highlights at halftime of the ManU vs. Barcelona match the really showed off the Black Mamba’s skills on the pitch. Bryant casually juggled a soccer ball before knocking a volley into the net. KB24 then lined up to take a penalty kick. Even as the goalkeeper faked from side to side, Bryant calmly drilled a shot into the lower left corner before accepting congratulations from the assembled dignitaries.Continue reading