kobe bryant

Kobe Bryant had 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists Tuesday night to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 96-76 season-opening victory over the Portland Trail Blazers and spoiling Greg Oden's debut, which was cut short by another injury.

Kobe Bryant hyperextended his right knee in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' exhibition game Tuesday night.

Bryant, who scored four points in 14 minutes against the Charlotte Bobcats, did not come out with the team for the second half.

The Lakers announced Bryant will be re-examined Wednesday.

Kobe Bryant will not have surgery on his right pinkie because recovery would take too long. Bryant has played with damaged ligaments in the finger since February, but said Tuesday that he won't have surgery after seeking opinions from hand specialists.

"When the doctors told me recovery from a procedure could be 12 weeks, I just decided now was not the time to have surgery," Bryant said on the Web...

The United States won the gold medal in Olympic men's basketball Sunday with a 118-107 victory over Spain.

The Americans won their first gold medal since the 2000 Olympics, but not without a fight. They led by just four points with less than 2 1/2 minutes remaining before pulling away to beat the same team they handled by 37 points in pool play.

Dwyane Wade scored 27 points and Kobe Bryant added 20 for the Americans.

Don't doubt this U.S. men's basketball team -- and sure don't challenge them, either. Especially if it's going to make Kobe Bryant flash his NBA MVP form.

Bryant scored 25 points in his best game in Beijing, and the men's U.S. Olympic team advanced to the semifinals by beating Australia 116-85 on Wednesday night.

The league potentially has a serious problem on its hands. Forget Brett Favre leaving the Packers. If Kobe Bryant were to leave the NBA, that would be the sports story of the decade.

We're not talking about a veteran player opting to finish his career elsewhere. We're talking about one of the greatest talents the game has ever seen thumbing his nose at the league in his prime.

It would serve as a harsh reminder to most ethnocentric Americans that our brand is not the best, or at least we can't afford it.

BEIJING -- A thought occurred during the first half of Team USA's 92-69 defeat of Greece on Thursday, as Kobe Bryant missed his first two three-pointers of the game.

Those bricks left him 1-for-17 for the Olympics from beyond the international arc -- a three-point line that's actually shorter than the NBA's.