Kobe on prospect of leaving Lakers: 'I bleed purple and gold'
Thanks to an off-the-cuff comment recently from Phil Jackson, whether Kobe Bryant will retire next summer isn't the only question about the future Hall of Famer's outlook. Bryant's former coach insinuated that if Bryant doesn't call it quits after the 2015-16 season, he might look to leave the Lakers for greener pastures.
At Lakers media day on Monday, Bryant thoroughly and quickly snuffed out that rumor, as he told Yahoo! Sports' Marc Spears that he's a Laker "for better or worse":
"I'm a Laker, man. How many times do I have to say that?" Bryant said. "Dude, I bleed purple and gold."
And Bryant told Spears that he's looking forward to getting back on the floor and competing, especially since he's healthy and can do "pretty much everything" trainers have asked of him:
"I have gone through our strength training getting my shoulder in positions where we would be a little apprehensive. But it feels extremely strong."
Bryant said he has no expectations for this year. Earlier on Monday, he told reporters that this season is all about the young guys, saying the Lakers don't even know who their starting five will be yet. That's the first thing the team will need to figure out during the preseason.
