National Basketball Association

Kobe Bryant: 'I bleed purple and gold,' have no plans to ditch Lakers

Published Nov. 3, 2014 3:33 p.m. ET

foxsports

Yes, the Lakers appear destined to suffer through a mediocre-to-terrible season.

But no, Kobe Bryant isn't planning on going anywhere.

The Lakers' highly paid 36-year-old megastar made that crystal clear in an interview with Yahoo Sports that seems to definitively quash the rumors, theories and speculations that have been circulating recently in regard to his future with the franchise.

Laker Nation -- at least most of Laker Nation -- will likely be relieved to hear that Bryant isn't considering a rumored move to the New York Knicks, where he could not only join up with one of the game's most explosive offensive players (Carmelo Anthony), but would also reunite with old friends (coach Derek Fisher, president Phil Jackson).

Still, conjecture about Bryant's future has persisted, largely because many simply can't fathom what's happening with the Lakers right now -- namely, that a fiercely and notoriously competitive five-time NBA champion would sit and endure the kind of season that appears to be developing, amid a roster lacking any star power but his own, and a Western Conference that's more stacked than ever.

It's actually even worse than it sounds. The team's top draft pick, Julius Randle, broke his leg on his first day on the job, an injured Steve Nash won't set foot on the court all season, and the Lakers have dropped their first four games -- mostly in blowout fashion.

Bryant, though, insisted to Yahoo Sports that he doesn't even consider bolting the team:

As for how/why the Lakers ended up with the roster they have, amid criticism that they didn't pursue big-time free agents hard enough? Bryant claims the team did all it could to lure fellow superstars Carmelo and LeBron James to L.A., and even to retain Pau Gasol.

There you have it, Lakers fans. For better or worse, it sounds like Kobe plans to stay put. As Yahoo Sports notes, his salary will be $23.5 million this year and $25 million next year, but it's not like the Lakers aren't getting anything from Bryant in return. He's actually been playing very well thus far, averaging nearly 25 points a game.

The problem is that he's going to need more help this season. But Bryant sounded realistic in his comments to Yahoo Sports, and offered words of encouragement to fans who aren't used to seeing the team struggle this way:

It's a long, long, long NBA season, and while the Lakers' prospects are uncertain, what does seem clear is that Kobe intends to stand by the team, win or lose.