Kobe Bryant will be announced Friday at All-Star Weekend in Chicago as one of the finalists for this year’s Basketball Hall of Fame induction class, which isn’t a secret and never was.Bryant always was a lock to be a first-ballot pick. Fellow first-time nominees Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett will almost certainly also be among those announced Friday as finalists. The complete class that will be enshrined at Springfield, Massachusetts in August will be announced on April 4 at the Final Four in Atlanta.But Friday’s announcement of the finalists in Chicago will be largely about the memory of Bryant, and rightly so. This All-Star weekend is the first huge gathering of the NBA family since Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in Southern California on Jan. 26. They’ll be remembered and honored throughout the weekend, and it’s a safe bet that Commissioner Adam Silver — in his annual All-Star news conference Saturday — has plenty to say about... [More]

Anthony Davis is LeBron James’ teammate in Los Angeles, and they’ll be teammates at the All-Star Game in Chicago as well.James took his fellow Lakers All-Star with the No. 1 overall pick of the Feb. 16 game’s draft on Thursday, as he matched wits with fellow captain Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks for the second consecutive year.James is looking to go 3-0 as an All-Star captain, after his team beat the one picked by Golden State’s Stephen Curry in 2018 and topped the one Antetokounmpo selected last year as well. James had the No. 1 overall pick for this year’s first round, the starters’ round — since he received the most overall votes from fans.And Davis, predictably, was the pick.“I know you’re all surprised,” James said.Antetokounmpo made Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, “my African brother,” he said, his first pick. James stayed with the LA theme by taking the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard with the third overall pick, and Antetokounmpo stayed with African-born players by selecting... [More]

Books created by Kobe Bryant’s content company soared in popularity in the days following the basketball legend’s death in a helicopter crash.A trio of the books created by Bryant’s Granity Studios will occupy the top three spots on the Middle Grade Hardcover portion of The New York Times’ best-seller list for Feb. 16. “Epoca: The Tree Of Ecrof” will be No. 1 on that list, followed by “Legacy And The Queen” and “The Wizenard: Training Camp.”All three of the books were written for children between the ages of 10 and 14. Bryant, in an interview with The Associated Press in 2018, said his mission for the books was “to combine education and inspiration and build around the concepts of what kids go through when they are playing a sport."Another of Bryant’s books, “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play” has also reached No. 1 on Amazon’s non-fiction sales charts this week. Bryant released that book in 2018, the same year that he won an Academy Award in the best animated short for his ode to the game... [More]

RIETI, Italy (AP) — The first Italian basketball team that Kobe Bryant’s father played for retired the Lakers superstar’s jersey to the rafters in a pregame ceremony Wednesday.“You began to play here and as an adult you made us dream. Our colors are with you in the sky,” read a huge banner in Italian that fans of NPC Rieti held up before the game against Scafati in Italy’s second division.Then a gold Lakers’ jersey with Bryant’s No. 24 was lifted to the ceiling of the PalaSojourner arena as a recording of Bryant's lineup introduction from his NBA playing days was played.Rieti was where Joe Bryant, Kobe’s father, made his Italian basketball debut in 1984. Kobe was 6 at the time. Joe Bryant went on to play for three other teams in Italy and Kobe grew up in the country until moving back to Pennsylvania for high school.Kobe Bryant died last month with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California. He was 41.At the start of the ceremony,... [More]

It is the time of year when every injury report causes eyebrows to raise.D'Angelo Russell, not in Golden State’s lineup at Washington on Monday?Hmmm.Tristan Thompson, scratched by the Cleveland Cavaliers for their game against New York the same night?Interesting.That’s because it’s the week of the NBA trade deadline, when teams need to be careful with the health of players they might be trying to deal.The deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. EST. It arrives quickly now, once the NBA moved it from its longtime spot on the calendar after the All-Star break to its current one the week before. It allows traded players to use the break to acclimate themselves to a new situation, rather than returning to a team that might deal them a couple days later.Russell could be making that adjustment. He’s been considered a trade possibility since virtually the moment the Warriors acquired him from Brooklyn in July in the sign-and-trade transaction that sent Kevin Durant across the country. He’s a point guard... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers' first game since Kobe Bryant's death was the second-most watched regular-season NBA game on ESPN.The game Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers averaged 4.41 million viewers. The only telecast to surpass that since ESPN resumed NBA coverage in 2002-03 was a January 2003 game between the Lakers and Houston Rockets that featured the first matchup between Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming (4.88 million).According to Nielsen, the Bryant pregame ceremony averaged 5.23 million viewers. The audience peaked at 6.07 million between 10:45 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern, which was the conclusion of the ceremony and the start of the game.By comparison, a game between Houston and the Denver Nuggets scheduled during a similar time slot last year averaged 1.6 million. The “Hoop Streams” pregame — which was streamed between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern — had a record 2.4 million views, according to the network. The show is streamed on ESPN.com and its app as well as Twitter and YouTube.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — Kobe Bryant's high school jersey spent more time in China of late than it did hanging on the wall of the gym named in honor of the school's career leading scorer.Bryant's retired No. 33 jersey was stolen in 2017 from Lower Merion High School's campus and eventually bought by a collector in China. Suspicious the jersey was stolen, the Kobe collector contacted the school and helped return the keepsake to suburban Philadelphia, a process already underway before Bryant was killed Sunday in a helicopter crash.The uniform was at last back Saturday where it belonged — unveiled under a spotlight by Bryant's cousin, his old high school coach, and a former teammate at Bryant Gymnasium."Good timing," Lower Merion coach Gregg Downer said. "That was kind of an iconic moment when the spotlight went on that jersey. It was just tremendous. It was major irony, almost, how we've been waiting for that jersey for a long time. For a long time we didn't know where it was. To have it back,... [More]

ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — Kobe Bryant's high school jersey spent more time in China of late than it did hanging on the wall of the gym named in honor of the school's career leading scorer.Bryant's retired No. 33 jersey was stolen in 2017 from Lower Merion High School's campus and eventually bought by a collector in China. Suspicious the jersey was stolen, the Kobe collector contacted the school and helped return the keepsake to suburban Philadelphia, a process already underway before Bryant was killed Sunday in a helicopter crash.The uniform was at last back Saturday where it belonged — unveiled under a spotlight by Bryant's cousin, his old high school coach, and a former teammate at Bryant Gymnasium."Good timing," Lower Merion coach Gregg Downer said. "That was kind of an iconic moment when the spotlight went on that jersey. It was just tremendous. It was major irony, almost, how we've been waiting for that jersey for a long time. For a long time we didn't know where it was. To have it back,... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James has only been a part of the Los Angeles Lakers for 19 months. The West Coast is a late stop on an NBA odyssey that already yielded rings, trophies and innumerable indelible moments in Cleveland and Miami.Yet when this venerated franchise needed a leader to honor a legend during one of the most traumatic times in its history, James took the microphone and stood alone in a golden spotlight at Staples Center on Friday night.Five days after Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash, the simple eloquence of James' words left most of the arena cheering through tears.In just four minutes, LeBron's speech captured the melancholy mood of a city while suggesting it's both possible and necessary to move on after unthinkable tragedy.“As I look around this arena, we’re all grieving,” James said. "We’re all hurt. We’re all heartbroken. But when we’re going through things like this, the best thing you can do is lean on the shoulders of your family.”Cleveland might be James'... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James wiped his eyes as the national anthem ended. Wearing Kobe Bryant's No. 24 jersey, James wrapped teammate Anthony Davis, in a No. 8 jersey, in an embrace.The Lakers' two current superstars were back on the court Friday night for the team's first game since Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash five days earlier.“Everybody was emotional,” James said after the Lakers lost to Portland 127-119.Davis, who scored 37 points, added, “We wanted to make him proud.”Portland's Damian Lillard had 48 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in a Kobe-like performance. “I don't think anybody walks away from this moment and this situation a winner,” Lillard said. “The memories that we'll take away from it was just sad and just tough.”James paid tribute by wearing an oversized jersey, finger sleeve, wristbands and Bryant's shoes.“Just showing that appreciation and love he gave us way before he knew us,” said James, who had 22... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James wiped his eyes as the national anthem ended. Wearing Kobe Bryant's No. 24 jersey, James wrapped teammate Anthony Davis, in a No. 8 jersey, in an embrace.The Lakers' two current superstars were back on the court Friday night for the team's first game since Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash five days earlier.James took center court in a pregame ceremony and read the names of the crash victims, ending with Bryant. He told the Staples Center crowd he had remarks prepared and pulled a piece of paper from his sweatpants. But then James tossed it to the floor.“Laker Nation, I would be selling you short if I read off this (expletive), so I'm going to go straight from the heart,” he said.“The first thing comes to mind is all about family. As I look around this arena, we're all breathing, hurt and heartbroken,” James said. “The best thing you can do is lean on the shoulders of your family.”He recalled watching... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Red roses adorned the courtside seats where Kobe and Gianna Bryant sat at the last Los Angeles Lakers game they attended. On the overhead video board, photos of Bryant in action for the Lakers alternated with those of the other seven people who were killed alongside him and his 13-year-old daughter in a helicopter crash.Friday night at Staples Center was unlike any other.Longtime public address announcer Lawrence Tanter introduced the entire Lakers lineup the same way: “From Lower Merion High School, No. 8, Kobe Bryant.”In a ceremony before the Lakers' first game since the crash on Sunday, Usher stood at center court of the darkened arena in front of No. 8 and No. 24 yellow rose arrangements to sing “Amazing Grace.” Cellist Ben Hong from the Los Angeles Philharmonic performed while video of Bryant talking about his life and career played.Fans interrupted the silence with chants of “Kobe! Kobe!" and “MVP! MVP!”Boyz II Men, from Bryant's hometown of Philadelphia, sang the... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Red roses adorned the courtside seats where Kobe and Gianna Bryant sat at the last Los Angeles Lakers game they attended. On the overhead video board, photos of Bryant in action for the Lakers alternated with those of the other seven people who were killed alongside him and his 13-year-old daughter in a helicopter crash.Friday night at Staples Center was unlike any other.Longtime public address announcer Lawrence Tanter introduced the entire Lakers lineup the same way: “From Lower Merion High School, No. 8, Kobe Bryant.”In a ceremony before the Lakers' first game since the crash on Sunday, Usher stood at center court of the darkened arena in front of No. 8 and No. 24 yellow rose arrangements to sing “Amazing Grace.” Cellist Ben Hong from the Los Angeles Philharmonic performed while video of Bryant talking about his life and career played.Fans interrupted the silence at times with chants of “Kobe!" and “MVP.”Boyz II Men, from Bryant's hometown of Philadelphia, sang the... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Red roses adorned the courtside seats where Kobe and Gianna Bryant sat at the last Los Angeles Lakers game they attended. On the overhead video board, photos of Bryant in action for the Lakers alternated with those of the other seven people who were killed alongside him and his 13-year-old daughter in a helicopter crash.Friday night at Staples Center was unlike any other.Later on, there would be a basketball game between the Portland Trail Blazers and Lakers, their first since Bryant's death on Sunday. But in the couple hours leading up to the game there was mostly silence. The electric atmosphere that surges through the arena before NBA games was nowhere to be felt. Media talked quietly among themselves without the usual music playing. Somber ushers took up their positions with black ribbons attached to their purple work shirts. Grief counseling was offered to arena staff and one female usher pulled tissues out of her pocket that had been provided.Inside the Lakers locker... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A large crowd of fans continued to gather outside Staples Center to express their grief over the death of Kobe Bryant before the Lakers' game Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers. It was the Lakers' first game since Bryant, his 13-year old daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash Sunday.Daniel Torres of Long Beach did not have a ticket to the game, but decided to come down to the arena to view the makeshift memorials and thoughts that fans wrote about the Lakers legend. “I grew up with Kobe. I’m not a very emotional person but I’ve been crying all week,” said Torres, who was wearing a Bryant jersey from Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania. “I can’t believe the outpouring and how many people loved him.”The Lakers will be wearing a “KB” patch on their jerseys while his retired No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys are emblazoned on the court. Fans on one side of the arena will be wearing shirts with Bryant’s No. 8 while the other side will be wearing No.... [More]

Editors:To help you with planning for Kobe Bryant, here are some of our plans. This advisory is subject to change and will be routinely updated. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org Please contact Oscar Dixon (odixon@ap.org) with any questions. All times Eastern.Friday, Jan. 31BKN—KOBE BRYANT-CLIPPERS-LAKERS TRIBUTELOS ANGELES — All-Star forward Paul George narrated a 2-minute video tribute to Kobe Bryant before the Los Angeles Clippers faced the Sacramento Kings Thursday night. It was the first basketball game at Staples Center since Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in Sunday's helicopter crash. The Clippers celebration was a precursor to the Lakers tribute to Bryant Friday night when his former teams plays its first game since his death. SENT: 500 words, photos. DEVELOPINGBKN—KOBE BRYANT-ALL-STAR TRIBUTEComing to the NBA All-Star Game: No. 24, Giannis Antetokounmpo and No. 2, LeBron James.... [More]

The NBA's All-Stars will be playing this year with Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant in their minds and on their jerseys.So, coming soon: No. 24 Giannis Antetokounmpo, and No. 2, LeBron James.As part of what will be a long series of tributes to Bryant and his daughter Gianna, the NBA announced Friday that every player on Team Giannis will wear 24 on their jerseys at this year’s All-Star Game and every player on Team LeBron will wear 2.Kobe Bryant spent the last 10 seasons of his career in a No. 24 jersey. Gianna Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and an outstanding young player, wore No. 2 on her jersey.All players taking part in All-Star weekend — including the Rising Stars game Feb. 14 and the Saturday night events such as the 3-point contest, slam dunk contest and skills competition — will wear a patch with nine stars to commemorate the nine victims of Sunday's helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.The patches for Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 will also bear the numbers 2 and 24. The patches for... [More]

Editors:To help you with planning for Kobe Bryant, here are some of our plans. This advisory is subject to change and will be routinely updated. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org Please contact Oscar Dixon (odixon@ap.org) with any questions. All times Eastern.Friday, Jan. 31BKN—KOBE BRYANT-CLIPPERS-LAKERS TRIBUTELOS ANGELES — All-Star forward Paul George narrated a 2-minute video tribute to Kobe Bryant before the Los Angeles Clippers faced the Sacramento Kings Thursday night. It was the first basketball game at Staples Center since Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in Sunday's helicopter crash. The Clippers celebration was a precursor to the Lakers tribute to Bryant Friday night when his former teams plays its first game since his death. SENT: 500 words, photos. DEVELOPINGBKN—TRAIL BLAZERS-LAKERSLOS ANGELES — The Lakers return to action for the first time since Kobe Bryant's death and since... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The first NBA game at Staples Center since Kobe Bryant's death was difficult for the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings. When the Los Angeles Lakers return to the court Friday night, that will be even more emotional.Clippers forward Paul George narrated a 2-minute video tribute to Bryant before Thursday night's loss to the Kings. Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed Sunday in a helicopter crash in Southern California.Bryant's retired No. 8 and No. 24 Lakers jerseys were left uncovered in the upper left corner of the arena. Following the video tribute, there was 24 seconds of silence followed by “Kobe, Kobe” chants before the national anthem.The Clippers wore No. 24 shooting shirts during pregame warmups, while coach Doc Rivers and his staff wore ties and shoes honoring Bryant.“I'm glad it's behind us. This will help us a little bit,” Rivers said.The tribute was a preamble to the Lakers' return to Staples Center on Friday night against... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — All-Star forward Paul George narrated a 2-minute video tribute to Kobe Bryant before the Los Angeles Clippers faced the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night. It was the first basketball game at Staples Center since Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in Sunday's helicopter crash in Calabasas.George, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, said during the video: “We gather tonight in the house that Kobe Bryant built to honor and remember him. He was as synonymous with Southern California as the sunshine and touched every inch of it." Bryant's retired No. 8 and 24 Lakers jerseys were left uncovered in the upper left corner of Staples Center. Following the video tribute, there was 24 seconds of silence followed by “Kobe, Kobe” chants before the national anthem.The tribute was a preamble to the Lakers' return to Staples Center Friday night for their first game since Bryant's death. Their game Tuesday against the Clippers was postponed out of respect... [More]