The sexual-assault case against Kobe Bryant threatens to cloud the Lakers' entire season, and Shaquille O'Neal concedes the ugly affair could present an ongoing distraction.
"To some people," O'Neal said. "But not to me."
The media crush that already envelopes the Lakers after every game and practice could double in size. At every stop, in every city, there will be dozens of new faces, wanting to ask the same old questions -- if nothing else, how Bryant and the Lakers are coping with the strain.
Team officials are contemplating ground rules for reporters in an attempt to shield Bryant and his teammates. O'Neal has his own solution.
"I'm going to make it clear that I'm not answering (questions) about it," he said. "I'm not going to speculate about it. And I'm not going to try to step in his shoes and think what he's thinking.
"I'm going to make it clear: Don't ask me about it. But is it going to be a distraction? I'm sure it is. Because guys are going to ask, Do you think this? Do you think that? But I'm not going to answer it. I will not answer it. And I will not speculate."
While team officials expect Bryant will play this season, they have received no direct assurance yet. Assuming he does play, Bryant could be summoned away to deal with legal matters and, of course, for the eventual trial in Colorado.
"We'll be all right," O'Neal said. "Because we got two more hungry, upset veterans (Gary Payton and Karl Malone). We'll be fine. It's going to be a fun year."
Via Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Lakers
Read the Full Story
Discuss
Send Feedback
Buy Tickets
A month after Karl Malone and Gary Payton made their cut-rate deals with the Lakers, sacrificing cash for the opportunity for an NBA title, Reggie Miller re-upped with the Indiana Pacers, for whom he'd played his entire career. Miller then proclaimed a purity of purpose and organizational devotion.
"I didn't want to be like some other guys," Miller said, "who jump on another team's bandwagon just to get a ring."
Take that, fellas.
"If I was coming in here and playing 10 minutes a night, that's riding a coattail," Malone said. "I'll tell you what, I wasn't pulling against the Lakers, but it made my decision a lot easier when they didn't win. When I heard Reggie make his decision, I like Reggie and I won't elaborate, but I'll say this: He had opportunity to do what I did and take less money. But he chose to make more money and stay where he was at. So, God bless him and God bless me."
Miller, who earned $12 million with the Pacers last season, agreed to a two-year contract for about $5 million per season. It is believed the Lakers offered Miller the same deal they did Malone and Payton: Play for less, earn more.
"At some point, somebody had to make some statement to say it's not all about the money all the time," Malone said. "Now, I don't want to hide the fact it wouldn't have been nice to make $10 million a year. Don't get me wrong. But how is that to the regular fan now?
Via Los Angeles Times
Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz
Read the Full Story
Discuss
Send Feedback
Buy Tickets
Kobe Bryant might have created an inconvenience in Eagle County, or at least a new form of entertainment, but his criminal case is not draining the county coffers, Eagle County Administrator Jack Ingstad says.
"We've had calls from worried taxpayers," said Jack Ingstad, "and we want to set the record straight. The impact of this case is insignificant, despite media reports or rumors to the contrary. We have a responsibility to make certain people have the facts."
The impact of the Bryant case on the budget is and will be insignificant in view of anticipated revenues and funding responsibilities, Ingstad said. "In a $100 million annual budget - which has more than $40 million in reserves - this matter is a drop in our budget bucket."
He said the county has spent $30,000 to date on the case.
"To put it in perspective, this is a county that just spent $1 million to install artificial turf on a recreation field," Ingstad said. "We run one of the busiest airports in Colorado. Thirty thousand dollars has very little impact."
"The county has been and continues to be financially healthy," said Eagle County Commissioner Michael Gallagher.
Via Vail Daily
Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets
Read the Full Story
Discuss
Send Feedback
Buy Tickets
Lakers Aug 2003 Archive
-
Vail Daily | Aug 29, 2003
District Attorney Mark Hurlbert Hurlbert joined defense attorneys Pamela Mackey and Harold Haddon in asking Gannett to ban cameras in the courtroom for Bryant's Oct.
-
Vail Daily | Aug 29, 2003
A judge's order to make Kobe Bryant's arrest warrant available to the public can stand, as far as the district attorney is concerned.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 29, 2003
Media organizations seeking the release of records in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case will appeal a judge's order to keep the files sealed, an attorney said Thursday.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 27, 2003
Three months ago, what Laker fans talked about was Shaquille O'Neal, his weight, his knee, his attitude, and his role in the Lakers' four-peat-turned-collapse.
-
Rocky Mountain News | Aug 27, 2003
The young woman who has accused NBA superstar Kobe Bryant of raping her won't return to the University of Northern Colorado for her sophomore year.
-
Rocky Mountain News | Aug 27, 2003
No cameras should be allowed in the courtroom when Kobe Bryant appears for his Oct.
-
Vail Daily | Aug 26, 2003
For those of you who have been following the bouncing ball of the Kobe Bryant case, you are likely aware that County Court Judge Frederick Gannett issued his order last week regarding unsealing of the court's file.
-
New York Post | Aug 24, 2003
The resort town of Edwards, Colo.
-
ESPN | Aug 23, 2003
Shaquille O'Neal hopes the sexual assault case against Kobe Bryant doesn't drag on.
-
Vail Daily | Aug 23, 2003
Tabloid reports of a financial settlement between Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and his 19-year-old accuser are not true, Bryant's attorney said Friday.
-
Rocky Mountain News | Aug 23, 2003
The family of Kobe Bryant's alleged victim has reported two suspicious incidents, including a possible burglary a little more than a week ago.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 22, 2003
The judge presiding over Kobe Bryant's sexual assault case ordered Thursday that the documents carrying the most detailed information that led to the Laker guard's July 4 arrest would remain sealed.
-
Vail Daily | Aug 22, 2003
Some person or persons broke into the Eagle home of the alleged victim in the Kobe Bryant case, sources told the Vail Daily.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 21, 2003
The Lakers have signed General Manager Mitch Kupchak to a multiyear contract extension, according to sources within the organization.
-
Rocky Mountain News | Aug 21, 2003
Kobe Bryant's lawyers may try to close his preliminary hearing to the media and public, according to lawyers fighting to unseal warrants and affidavits in the case.
-
Philadelphia Daily News | Aug 20, 2003
The honeymoon, at least as planned, is over.
-
usabasketball.com | Aug 19, 2003
USA Basketball announced Tuesday that New Jersey Nets forward Kenyon Martin has been added to the 2003 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team replacing two-time Olympian Karl Malone (Los Angeles Lakers).
-
Rocky Mountain News | Aug 19, 2003
Pollster Paul Talmey won't disclose who hired his firm to survey Eagle County voters about the Kobe Bryant case, but experts believe it's likely a step toward a possible defense bid to move the sexual assault trial of the Los Angeles Lakers star.
-
Denver Post | Aug 19, 2003
Two witnesses in the JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation have told the judge in the Kobe Bryant case that if prosecutors leaked information to journalists in the Bryant case, he, not Colorado's Office of Attorney Regulation, should impose the punishment.
-
New York Times | Aug 17, 2003
Karl Malone needed confirmation.
-
Orange County Register | Aug 16, 2003
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed center Eric Chenowith (Villa Park High) and forward Koko Archibong, members of their summer-league team, as they continue to round out their roster for training-camp workouts.
-
Orange County Register | Aug 16, 2003
Although negotiations have not yet begun, Phil Jackson's agent, Todd Musburger, said Friday Jackson remains intent on extending his Lakers contract.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 15, 2003
The Lakers signed forward Koko Archibong, who played for their summer-league team, bringing the club's roster to 17.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 15, 2003
The funeral for Karl Malone's mother, Shirley Jackson Malone, who died Wednesday morning of a massive heart attack, will be held Tuesday morning in El Dorado, Ark.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 15, 2003
Allen Iverson said Thursday that Kobe Bryant is a victim of his own reputation, one erroneously built by a fawning media.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 15, 2003
Phil Jackson and the Lakers are expected to complete a two-year contract extension worth perhaps $16 million, before bonuses, in the coming week.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 14, 2003
The Lakers signed guards Ime Udoka and Maurice Carter.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 14, 2003
By now, the story is well-known.
-
Rocky Mountain News | Aug 14, 2003
Kobe Bryant wears the number 8 jersey.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 14, 2003
Two 911 calls to Kobe Bryant's house in Newport Beach were made for medical aid on behalf of Bryant's wife, Vanessa, according to documents released by the Newport Beach city attorney's office Wednesday.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 14, 2003
Karl Malone's mother, Shirley Jackson Malone, died Wednesday morning in Eldorado, Ark.
-
Associated Press | Aug 13, 2003
Karl Malone left the U.
-
Rocky Mountain News | Aug 13, 2003
Racist fliers began showing up on doorsteps and in at least one post office box Tuesday in Eagle County, where basketball star Kobe Bryant is charged with one count of sexual assault.
-
Washington Post | Aug 13, 2003
If Kobe Bryant's trial for rape follows the standard schedule for Colorado felony cases, the NBA all-star could find himself in a courtroom rather than on the court next spring as the Los Angeles Lakers head into the final weeks of the NBA regular season.
-
Newark Star-Ledger | Aug 12, 2003
No matter that Kobe Bryant's trial -- if there is one -- is months away.
-
New York Post | Aug 12, 2003
They call him The Answer, but yesterday Allen Iverson tried to sidestep one issue: his take on the Kobe Bryant situation.
-
Vail Daily | Aug 12, 2003
The circus might be entertaining in some ways, but it's not free.
-
New York Post | Aug 12, 2003
The Nets completed their coaching staff yesterday naming Larry Drew, 45, as an assistant coach under Byron Scott.
-
New York Post | Aug 12, 2003
Team USA gathered with coach Larry Brown before practice at John Jay College yesterday, sprawling on the floor to listen.
-
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel | Aug 12, 2003
After winning eight of their last nine regular-season games and after giving the eventual Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets a real scare in the playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks seemed to be on the right track.
-
Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Aug 10, 2003
Two of the NBA's most outspoken and misunderstood personalities -- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and former superstar-turned-broadcaster Charles Barkley -- shared a stage Saturday afternoon, and their opinions, predictably, were unpredictable.
-
Deseret Morning News | Aug 9, 2003
The Karl Malone era for the Utah Jazz began in 1985 when the "city of Utah" threw a birthday parade for him, disguised as a Days of '47 celebration.
-
ESPN | Aug 9, 2003
FOX television said Friday that the network omitted part of Kobe Bryant's acceptance speech during the 2003 Teen Choice Awards program that aired Wednesday.
-
Florida Today | Aug 8, 2003
The last time Orlando Magic guard Tracy McGrady answered this many questions about Kobe Bryant, it was February and the two NBA superstars were locked into a compelling battle for the league scoring title.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 7, 2003
Laker star Kobe Bryant made his court appearance Wednesday on charges of felony sexual assault and was given a preliminary-hearing date of Oct.
-
South Florida Sun-Sentinel | Aug 7, 2003
Free-agent swingman Steve Smith, 34, who was relegated to cheerleader during the Spurs' run to the title after leading the league in 3-point percentage the year before, is interested in rejoining the Heat, with whom he played from 1991-95.
-
Dallas Morning News | Aug 6, 2003
The NBA office was not pleased.
-
Dallas Morning News | Aug 6, 2003
Mark Cuban said that he was only addressing the realities of an increasingly media-driven, celebrity-obsessed culture.
-
Denver Post | Aug 6, 2003
Outside the county's Justice Center, where basketball superstar Kobe Bryant is to face a judge today, folks from town and visitors just passing through are stopping to look, take pictures, shake their heads.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 5, 2003
The maker of Nutella chocolate spread said Monday it is phasing out endorsements from Kobe Bryant in part because of the sexual assault charge against the NBA superstar.
-
New York Post | Aug 4, 2003
The woman accusing Kobe Bryant of rape tearfully told a bellhop minutes after the alleged attack that that she had just been "forced to have sex" with the NBA superstar, according to a new report.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 4, 2003
After he was accused of sexual assault, it didn't take Laker star Kobe Bryant long to surround himself with a formidable defense team.
-
Denver Post | Aug 3, 2003
Security concerns have caused Eagle County officials to schedule Kobe Bryant's first court appearance late in the day Wednesday.
-
Washington Post | Aug 3, 2003
The legal battle surrounding the Kobe Bryant rape trial could be described as a David-and-Goliath contest, with a young, rural prosecutor on a tight budget up against a high-powered, well-connected criminal defense firm funded by an NBA superstar's hefty purse.
-
New York Times | Aug 3, 2003
Playing their favorite characters on screen — as in themselves — star athletes can find script selection burdensome when they are expected to live up to their lines.
-
Vail Daily | Aug 2, 2003
Kobe Bryant called 911 from his home just after midnight the day before he flew back to Eagle County to be arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, Newport Beach, Calif.
-
Miami Herald | Aug 2, 2003
Samaki Walker might not have been the Los Angeles-based forward at the top of the Heat's shopping list, but the feeling wasn't mutual.
-
South Florida Sun-Sentinel | Aug 1, 2003
Instead of waiting for the Clippers' next move, the Heat is about to make one of its own and sign Samaki Walker, the Lakers' starting power forward throughout most of their 2001-02 championship season.
-
Los Angeles Times | Aug 1, 2003
Following a three-hour courtroom debate, the judge in Kobe Bryant's sexual assault case postponed a decision Thursday on whether to release sealed court files.
|
