Lakers in the News 8/04/15: Kobe Bryant talks retirement, playoffs and life after basketball

lakersfreak · Last edited by lakersfreak on Tue Aug 04, 2015 6:51 am; edited 2 times in total

Young Gets Swaggy at the Drew League
by Joey Ramirez - nba.com

All his life, Nick Young has shined on the many basketball courts throughout Los Angeles. From his dominant days at Cleveland High to his All-Pac-10 career at USC, Young has thrived on the city’s hardwood en route to taking L.A.’s biggest stage — STAPLES Center — as a member of the Lakers.

So it’s only natural that Young has been putting on a show at Los Angeles’ biggest summer league — the Drew League.

Featuring players from across the country, including pros like L.A. natives James Harden and DeMar DeRozan, the Drew’s high-scoring affairs are a natural setting for Young to put on a show.

The 30-year-old did just that, leading his team, M.H.P., to the league semifinals by dropping 34 points while collecting four rebounds, three assists and three steals in the second round of the playoffs. For his efforts, Young was named the Drew League Player of the Week.

http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/150803_youngdrew

lakersfreak · Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 6:07 am Post subject:

Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell Sign Contracts with Nike
by Timothy Rapp - bleacherreport.com

Nike added two new athletes to its brand Monday, signing Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns and Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell.

Darren Rovell of ESPN shared the news on Twitter:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2538393-karl-anthony-towns-dangelo-russell-sign-contracts-with-nike

lakersfreak · Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 6:12 am Post subject:

THE 5 GREATEST NBA CENTERS OF ALL TIME
by Matt Zemek - bloguin.com

Early August. It’s a time for NBA bloggers to reconnect with family and friends after following the season… and the playoffs… and the Finals… and the draft… and the free-agent frenzy… and Woj bombs about the Clippers playing cards with DeAndre Jordan in the summer’s true blockbuster movie… and the summer league.

This is the slow period in the NBA’s calendar year, so it’s the best time to clear out some head space, relax, and — with a fresh mind — revisit the “all-time” conversations in the history of NBA basketball.

This piece begins a series of roundtables that will continue on a daily basis through late September, bridging the gap between these dog days of summer and the initial stirrings of the 2015-2016 NBA season.

Joining me for these conversations are Crossover Chronicles senior writer Joe Manganiello — who also contributes to Bloguin’s culture site, The AP Party — and brand-new CC writer Collin O’Connor, who will join us later in the week.

Today’s conversation is a “big” one — Joe and I look at the best big men in NBA history. (Why make that distinction? Arvydas Sabonis, to offer just one example, is quite possibly a top-5 center, but not within the context of the NBA.)

http://bloguin.com/crossoverchronicles/2015-articles/the-5-greatest-nba-centers-of-all-time.html

lakersfreak · Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 6:51 am Post subject:

Kobe Bryant talks retirement, playoffs and life after basketball
by Marc J. Spears - sports.yahoo.com

Kobe Bryant says this absolutely could be his last NBA season, but the Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar says he has not made a final decision.

Bryant, 36, told Yahoo Sports in a phone interview on Tuesday during a business trip to China that he won’t decide whether he will retire until after the upcoming NBA season.

Coming off another season cut short because of injury – a torn rotator cuff – the 17-time All-Star covered a variety of topics in a Q&A with Yahoo Sports.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/q-a--kobe-bryant-talks-retirement--playoffs-and-life-after-basketball-141155813.html