In an interview with Time, former Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he given his choice he would start his fantasy team with Bill Russell. The owner of 13 championship rings, 11 as a coach and two as a player with the New York Knicks, said he measures players by championships:

"In my estimation, the guy that has to be there would be Bill Russell. He has won 11 championships as a player," Jackson said. "That's really the idea of what excellence is, when you win championships."

Russell earned 11 rings during his playing career, all with the Boston Celtics. He also won two NCAA championships at the University of San Francisco as well as a gold medal in the 1956 Olympics.

Jackson has not shied from comparisons in the promotion of his book "Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success." Earlier this month Jackson made waves when comparing Jordan to Bryant.  He gave the edge to Jordan:

"Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence," Jackson said. "Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he'd yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had in his bones."

The Jordan preference follows Jackson's championship measure; Jordan won six rings, Bryant owns five.

Please follow Sports Page on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Athletes' kids are probably some of the luckiest people alive.

They're born into great fortunes, and are most likely blessed with awesome athletic genes. The only downside we can think of is they certainly have a lot to live up to.

But we have faith they'll succeed and we'll see Bryant, Beckham, and James on the backs of jerseys for years to come.

Matt Kuchar's son Cameron

Lionel Messi's son Thiago

Luis Suarez's daughter

Please follow Sports Page on Twitter and Facebook.

Jimmy Kimmel does a feature on his late-night show where celebrities read the awful things that people say about them on Twitter.

Last night, the show did an NBA edition of Mean Tweets, and it was great.

Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Kobe Bryant, and Shaq were all involved.

Kobe and Rondo are probably the best (via @ArashMarkazi):

Join the conversation about this story »

The 2013 NBA Draft class is considered one of the weakest in years. ESPN basketball insider Chad Ford says NBA executives do not see a single surefire All-Star in the draft. 

The name most likely to be called first by the Cleveland Cavaliers is Nerlens Noel, the 19-year-old big man from Kentucky. But not even Noel is a sure pick, he is coming off a torn ACL and leaves much to be desired on the offensive end.

Indiana shooting guard Victor Oladipo wins the Most Likely To Succeed from NBA general managers. Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore has drawn comparisons to Ray Allen. Georgetown swingman Otto Porter Jr. is viewed as something between Scottie Pippen and Tayshaun Prince. 

In a draft low on surefire talent, but saturated with unheralded players eager to make a name, we take a look back at the greatest players in league history to be drafted without great fanfare. 

Kenneth Faried went 22nd in 2011.

Faried averaged 17.3 points and 14.5 rebounds and upset #4 seed Louisville in March Madness his senior year at Morehead State University.

In his second season, Faried averaged 11 points and nine rebounds this year.

Who went ahead of him: Nolan Smith, 277 points in 84 career games. 

Marc Gasol went 48th in 2007.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Gasol was the Spanish League MVP in 2008 before joining the Grizzlies in 2009. 

Who went ahead of him: Sun Yue, six points in ten career games.

Rajon Rondo went 21st in 2006.

The four-time All-Star has led the NBA in assists for two years running. Standing 6'1" without a solid jumper, Rondo is the classic type of player whose metrics belie an unstoppable game.

Who went ahead of him: Mouhamed Sene, 103 career points in 47 career games. 

Kobe Bryant took to Twitter last night to talk about the two biggest moves of the Lakers' offseason — letting Dwight Howard go to the Rockets, and using the amnesty clause to release Metta World Peace.

His tweet explaining why he unfollowed Howard on Twitter immediately after Howard announced his decision to sign with Houston last Friday should be an inspiration to every business leader.

The tweet:

I wish d12 the best honestly. I just find it hard to follow players that wanna kick my teams ass #thatsjustme

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) July 9, 2013

Brilliant.

Kobe views everyone who isn't a teammate as an opponent. That's how he has stayed on top at an age when most players are slipping into retirement.

You're either with Kobe, or you're against Kobe.

This isn't the first time Kobe has talked about this. Back in February he told ESPN that he thinks it's weird that the current generation of NBA stars are all buddies, "They don't seem to want to talk any trash. I say everything to LeBron. He says nothing back. He just laughs. There's no banter back and forth. I guess it's a generational thing. When I first came into the league, the trash talk was downright cutthroat."

He also quoted Steve Jobs last night:

"My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to make them better." Steve Jobs

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) July 9, 2013

Beyond Dwight Howard and Steve Jobs, Kobe said last night that he disagreed with LA's decision to amnesty Metta World Peace (cutting him and removing his $7.2 million salary from the cap).

Kobe pointed out that Metta hit the game-winning 3-pointer in Game 7 of 2010 NBA Finals, and that he'd like to have one more chance with this unit next year:

No game 7 win without Metta! This is a tough day for laker nation #misspeace#newcbacasualty

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) July 9, 2013

Personally I'd keep Metta and make a run with the unit we have and just add a few pieces #keepthepeace#lakersstilldeciding

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) July 9, 2013

SEE ALSO: 16 Examples Of Kobe's Insane Work Ethic

SEE ALSO: The Lakers Are Setting Themselves Up Perfectly For The Summer Of 2014

SEE ALSO: 24 Quotes That Make Kobe The NBA's Most Enjoyable Loose Cannon

Join the conversation about this story »

The Lakers are set up perfectly to reload in the summer of 2014, but there's one potentially awkward obstacle — Kobe Bryant's salary.

Kobe's contract is up after this season. If the Lakers want to re-sign him under a maximum contract, they're going to have to pay him ~$32 million in 2014-15.

That'd be by far the biggest one-year salary for a player in NBA history. For comparison, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade made ~$35 million combined this year.

It'd also cripple L.A.'s salary cap flexibility. Assuming the salary cap stays around $58.7 million, Kobe himself would take up more than half of his team's available funds, and limit the Lakers' chances of signing multiple top-line free agents.

It's a pickle, but there's one obvious way out of it — Kobe takes a pay cut.

If Kobe, who will be 36 years old going into 2014-15, agreed to a deal in the $15-20 million per year range, the Lakers would have a lot more wiggle room.

But he doesn't want to do that. Yesterday Kobe told Serena Winters of Lakers Nation that he has no plans to take a pay cut. He even laughed out loud when she posed the question.

The exchange:

Reporter:"You are going to have to sign a new contract and if you do it's likely that you might have to take a pretty big pay cut. Have you thought about that at all?"

Kobe: [laughs] "... Nah, I want to try to get as much as I possibly can.'"

Reporter:"So you might take a little bit, but not a huge one."

Kobe:"I'm not taking any at all. That's the negotiation that you have to have. You got to go in and start out and say, 'No, no go.'"

This makes things awkward for the Lakers. Kobe is a legend, and you never want to kick a guy like him to the curb, especially when he's still a great offensive player.

But on the other hand his contract severely limits the team's ability to reload going forward.

Here's the video of the exchange. Kobe's LOL moment comes right after the 2:36 mark:

Join the conversation about this story »

Unless they meet in the World Series, last night was the last time the Dodgers and Yankees will play each other until 2016 and it was the last time Yankees closer Mariano Rivera will ever play in Dodger Stadium.

That combination led to a all-star cast of fans that showed up for what was one of baseball's most anticipated regular season matchups in recent years.

Here are some of the bigger stars starting with Cristiano Ronaldo, who threw out the first pitch...

Of course, Dodgers owner Magic Johnson wasn't going to miss this one...

Magic sat with Kobe Bryant...

Kobe even took a helicopter to the game, sharing this image on Instagram...

And from Hollywood, Samuel Jackson was in the crowd...

And the night before, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul were at the game...

As well as Jay Z and Jack Nicholson...

Of course, the star of the night was Rivera...

And before the game he was presented with a large fishing rod as he heads into retirement...

Join the conversation about this story »

Kobe Bryant is currently touring China, but he took a moment to share a photo of the scar from the surgery to repair his torn Achilles tendon.

While the scar, which Bryant has dubbed "The Achilles 'Battle' Scar," looks gruesome, he told the media that the procedure was "different" and that he has "shattered" the timetable for recovery (via NBA.com).

Bryant says he is walking fine and lifting weights with the Achilles. Instead of being out 6-9 months and missing a chunk of the 2013-14 regular season, it now sounds like Bryant will be ready to play in the preseason.

There has been no official word from the Lakers on when they expect their star to return. And Bryant admits that the procedure was so different that they don't know what the timetable should be.

But beyond the graphic scar, it sounds like Bryant is on the road to a full recovery.

Join the conversation about this story »

After 17 years in the NBA, Kobe Bryant is still one of the best players in the league.

And there's one reason why — his insane work ethic.

Even after going down with a devastating Achilles injury at the end of the 2012-2013 season, Kobe kept working, and now he says he's way ahead of schedule on his recovery. In fact, he says he "shattered" the timetable for recovery from his surgery, and that he should be back for preseason instead of missing games well into the 2013-2014 season.

But that's just Kobe for you.

We picked out our favorite Kobe stories that illustrate just how hard he works.

They include marathon workouts, playing teammates to 100 after practice, and refusing to eat the junk food he loves the most.

He decided to lose 16 pounds for the Olympics in 2012

Kobe has never been out of shape, but he decided to change himself as a precautionary measure. He told the Guardian:

"With summer basketball leading directly into the season — and I'm expecting to play until next June — I have to take some load off my knees. I've got to shave some of this weight."

Source: Guardian

Showed up at 5 a.m. and left practice at 7 p.m. ... in high school

Source: SI

He'd make high school teammates play one-on-one games to 100

Kobe played a bench warmer to 100 multiple times when he was in high school.

In Kobe's worst game, he still won 100-12.

Source: SI

Kobe Bryant has listed mansion in Newport Coast, California for $8.6 million, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The 20,000-square-foot house includes a gym, shark tank, and outdoor entertaining area with a pool and a hot tub. It's being listed by ReMax's Jordan Cohen.

Kobe famously takes a helicopter to travel from Orange County to downtown L.A. If he moves closer to work those days may be over.

The view from the driveway

The ocean view

The pool area is the highlight

Apple isn't the only tech company to boast piano capabilities in a commercial.

A new Chinese ad for PC maker Lenovo shows basketball star Kobe Bryant playing Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata."

Almost all of the two minute long commercial is a smiling, clearly proud, Bryant playing accompanied by a string quartet.

"Lenovo is the fastest growing mobile brand in the world," he says, opening the slow-paced commercial. "They always know how to deliver an incredible performance, and today is no exception. Enjoy the show."

While this might seem like a surprising feat, Bryant has been sharing his "Moonlight Sonata" skills for months. He tweeted this message in January:

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata calms me down when I reach my breaking point #relaxandfocuspic.twitter.com/i2imK51p

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 22, 2013

SEE ALSO: This ad for The Standard Hotel has been accused of trivializing violence against women

Join the conversation about this story »

Kobe Bryant is awesome at social media. The sports world was ecstatic when he joined Twitter, and then Instagram, and then Vine. He's had a Vine account for a while now but he just posted his first one Thursday night, and it's so Kobe.

He's jumping off a high dive with sneakers on and the caption says "If I can run, I can jump" followed by a bunch of ridiculous hashtags.

Never change, Kobe:

Join the conversation about this story »

Kobe Bryant has been one of the most recognizable and top-scoring players in the NBA for 17 years. Even after a devastating Achilles tendon tear in March, he has shattered the timetable for his recovery and is expected back for the upcoming basketball season.

The reason that Bryant has managed to stay on top over the years is his insane work ethic. Watch below why the  "Black Mamba" is one of the best to play the game. Click for sound. 

Produced by Justin Gmoser

SEE ALSO: LeBron James Dancing For 36 Glorious Seconds

Follow Us: On YouTube

Join the conversation about this story »

Kobe Bryant is a master of many things, primarily basketball things.

The five-time champion, two-time gold medalist, one-time MVP and 15-time All-Star has done it all, basically, in this sport.

Yet he remains unsatisfied. For all the snark directed at him (a hefty dose of it supplied by yours truly) he's truly a magical being in NBA lore. Let us not get so wrapped up in that which he now lacks in his mid-30s that we miss what we offers better than all others.

And right now, as he recovers from surgery to repair his Achilles tendon, he's offering some fantastic myth-building. In August, Kobe visited China and sat down for a CCTV program Let Them Talk. (Think VH1's Storytellers, but for a basketball star and with incessant pop-ups.) It aired on Saturday, and the Los Angeles Daily News posted about it.

 Here's my favorite bit:

"As I sit here with you now, telling you I'm going to come back 100 percent ... I don't know for sure. You know, I have moments and I have days where I doubt myself. But to me, that's the exciting part of the challenge. That's when I realize this is a great opportunity to come out and show everybody this is how you bounce back. This is how you respond to a challenge. And the people who say, 'You'll never do it, you'll never make it,' this is how I look at that. The people who say, 'You will never come back from this injury' ... to me, that means that if they had this injury, if they had this injury, they would quit. That's what it means to me. Because if they sit there and look at me and say I can't do it, that means that if this happened to you, you wouldn't do it. So I have to show them just as much as I show the people who support me that this can be done and I can come back from this. By me coming back from this shows the people who doubt me, hopefully makes them reconsider what's possible. And that's the important story about the scar. The scar is a good story anyway."

I mean, Wieden + Kennedy couldn't write that. No other player in the league could sell that and make it believable. Somehow Kobe, the realest pitchman alive, not only sells it, but makes it feel like a personal manifesto. In his image, "Just Do It" becomes an eloquent monologue on struggle, redemption and the light that springs from all shadows.

And in this way, the devastating injury Kobe suffered late last season has opened a whole new window into what makes him tick. Later in the monologue, he namedrops Michael Jackson, Leonardo da Vinci and Bruce Lee as inspirations and says that his Black Mamba persona is not intended to represent hyper-competitive aggression, but a consuming thirst for greatness. And Kobe's incredible success hasn't quenched that thirst, as he makes clear.

This sort of baring exposition wouldn't be possible and/or believable without the injury and the obvious odds stacked against Kobe. Really, this is the first time we can say the odds have truly been stacked against him. All other times we considered him an underdog, we were really just misjudging him. A torn Achilles tendon at age 35 with about 54,000 NBA minutes on the odometer -- he's an underdog, really. And he fights the odds because he cannot stop himself from fighting the odds.

We all wish Kobe were healthy so that we could see the Mamba And Pau Revenge Tour in full throttle, but we're learning more about No. 24 in his absence.

(Another interesting thought about this whole myth-building is how Adidas's The Return campaign for Derrick Rose was an abject failure in sincerity, despite Rose being among the least adorned and most believably earnest stars in the league. There's little question that the actual struggle of the return itself played into that -- Rose's prolonged absence and the Bulls' apparent efforts to use public pressure to get him back on the court overwhelmed the actual narrative of Rose's struggle.) 

The Rest Of This Week's Post At The Hook >

Join the conversation about this story »

With his father "Jellybean" Bryant playing basketball overseas, Kobe Bryant spent most of his time in Europe until the age of 14.

He formed his basketball habits on the courts of Italy and France, while his counterparts in the U.S. fought for a spot in the highly competitive youth system, called "AAU."

In an interview with Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated, Bryant says that learning basketball outside the U.S. was actually a huge advantage because it taught him to rely on fundamentals, not athleticism.

He explained:

"I was lucky to grow up in Italy at a time when basketball in America was getting f***** up with AAU shuffling players through on strength and athleticism. I missed all that, and instead I was taught extreme fundamentals: footwork, footwork, footwork, how to create space, how to handle the ball, how to protect the ball, how to shoot the ball. I wasn't the strongest kid at that camp. I wasn't the fastest. I wasn't the most athletic. I was probably the most skillful, but that didn't matter. It was all about the 360 windmill dunks."

Kobe is taking some liberties here. While he has a legendary work ethic, he was freakishly athletic to begin with when he first came into the league.

But his main point — that the AAU takeover of youth basketball in America has hurt the game — is becoming an increasing popular view among former NBA players.

A few years ago Charles Barkley also slammed the AAU game.

He explained that AAU focuses too much on competitive games and not enough on technique, which means players can't build any skills outside of athleticism.

He said (via Sports Radio Interviews):

"They’re killing the game. AAU is the worst thing to happen to college basketball ever. I hate AAU more than anything in the world. These kids aren’t getting good coaching. They’re playing too many games and not working on their game enough. 

"And what’s happened is the NBA, we’re the beneficiary of it unfortunately. We’ve got a bunch of guys who … my number one thing I hate in the world is when you’re talking to fans and they’ll say ‘man that guy can really run and he can really jump.’ And I always say ‘so can a deer but I wouldn’t put him in a game.’ These guys, listen, they’ve been coming into the NBA for the last three years and they can run and jump, but they’ve cut out the middle man when you go to college and learn how to play."

At age 35, Kobe is still one of the best players in the NBA despite his diminished speed and quickness. And that's all because he's a genius when it comes to things like footwork and fundamentals.

SEE ALSO: 17 Examples Of Kobe's Insane Work Ethic

Join the conversation about this story »

The underdog Los Angeles Lakers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 116-103 in the season opener last night.

After the game, new Clippers coach Doc Rivers said some things you never hear from teams playing the Lakers.

He said that he failed to convince his players that the Lakers should be taken seriously, and that his Clippers weren't ready to play.

From Arash Markazi of ESPN:

"We were not ready tonight. I told our guys before the game. Those are pros on the other side and they’ve been told for months how good you’re going to be, how they’re not going to be good and they’re not going to have Kobe and all that stuff. You know they were going to play like this is the world championship, with that type of energy, and we never matched it."

Those are pros on the other side?

Opposing coaches have had a multitude of challenges when playing the Lakers over the years, but convincing their players that the Lakers actually have NBA-level players hasn't been one of them until now.

He continued:

"I told our guys, ‘Tonight we’re fighting human nature.’ I told them, ‘I’m telling you, we’re fighting human nature tonight. That team is coming after you with everything they have, and I don’t know if you can match that.’ And at the end of the day, we did not."

The implication: The Lakers stink, it's hard to get pumped up for a team that stinks.

Every NBA expert we've seen has picked the Lakers to miss the playoffs (they're in the bottom 10 of our power rankings). Beyond Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, their roster is filled with old guys (Steve Nash, Chris Kaman), role players who've been in and out of the NBA over the last few years (Shawne Williams, Jordan Farmar), and castoffs (Nick Young, Wesley Johnson).

Despite last night's win, they're going to struggle this year.

The Lakers were one of the favorites to win the NBA title last year. Now opposing players are going to have to trick themselves into taking them seriously.

Join the conversation about this story »

It's pay day for Kobe Bryant.

The Los Angeles Lakers star will receive 80% of his $30.5 million salary today in one lump sum payment today, Eric Pincus of the LA Times reports.

That means he'll get a check for $24,363,044.

NBA players typically get paid bi-weekly during the season, but they have the right to negotiate a different payment schedule on an individual basis. Before the 2011 lockout, for instance, some players structured their deals so they'd still get paid even though they weren't playing.

Kobe negotiated his contract so he gets the bulk of his salary all at once. 80% is the maximum amount a player's salary can be paid out in a lump sum, according to the LA Times.

His checks for the rest of the year will be lighter than usual since the team only has to pay him $6.1 million between now and May.

Kobe is the highest-paid player in the NBA. To put this $24.3 million payment in context, here's what the league's other highest-paid players make over the entire season:

• Dirk Nowitzki ($22.7 million)
• Amar'e Stoudemire ($21.67 million)
• Joe Johnson ($21.5 million)
• Carmelo Anthony ($21.4 million)
• Dwight Howard ($20.5 million)
• Pau Gasol ($19.3 million)
• Chris Bosh ($19.1 million)
• LeBron James ($19.1 million)
• Dwyane Wade ($18.7 million)

So Kobe makes more money today (Nov. 1) than any other player in the league will make all year.

He has now made ~$275 million in salary during his career. Because of his notoriously insane work ethic, he has been able to keep getting maximum contracts at an age when he should be declining. It's paying off.

SEE ALSO: The Sweet Life Of Kobe Bryant, How The NBA's Highest-Paid Player Spends His Millions

Join the conversation about this story »

Derek Jeter and Kobe Bryant have had remarkably similar careers both on and off the court and field.

Both players began their career in 1996 and have won multiple championships while playing their entire career with one franchise. Now, 17 years later, they are also the biggest stars in their respective sports who are in the twilight of their career.

On top of those similarities, both players have similar career earnings as both will eclipse $265 million in 2014. While Jeter's annual salary peaked in 2010 when he made $21 million, Kobe will make $30.5 million this year, the highest salary of his career. Still, considering the different salary restrictions in the two sports, the similarity is quite remarkable...

Data via Baseball-Reference.com, Basketball-Reference.com, and BaseballProspectus.com

Join the conversation about this story »

Kobe Bryant signed a two-year, $48.5 million extension that will keep him with the Los Angeles Lakers through the 2015-16 season, the team announced today.

Because of the brevity of the contract, Kobe's relatively advanced age, and his "#Laker4Life" tweet after signing the deal, it appears that he will retire when this deal is over in 2016.

The contract will make him the only player in NBA history to play 20 seasons with one team.

But he's taking a pay cut to do so.

Kobe will make $23.5 million in 2014-15 and $25 million in 2015-16, according to widespread reports.

That's a ~$7 million pay cut from his 2013-14 salary of $30.5 million.

Under NBA contract rules, the maximum value of a potential two-year Lakers contract for Kobe was ~$67.9 million ($32.8 million in 2014-15 and $35.1 million in 2015-16).

He ended up leaving ~$19.4 million on the table in order to stay a Laker.

Kobe's contract is totally unique in the NBA. He was drafted 1996 — an era when rookies got paid more money up front and started getting max contracts after only a couple of years in the league. Since Kobe is maniacally competitive and hard working, he has been signing max deals for over a decade. His permitted maximum salary is a relic from the old CBA, and is completely out of whack with what other elite players make.

The second-highest paid player in the league, Dirk Nowitzki, makes $22.7 million. LeBron makes $19 million.

If Kobe asked for a max deal, he would have occupied more than half of the team's total salary cap room, crippling the team's ability to sign other top players.

Even though he's taking a $7 million annual pay cut and leaving $19 million on the table over two years, he's still going to be the highest-paid player in the league. That gives you an idea of just how outrageous his old contract was.

And even though the Lakers got a discount on Kobe, they're still committing a huge chunk of their salary cap to a guy who will be 37-years old in 2015-16 and is coming off a torn Achilles. Despite the pay cut, it's an incredibly costly move for L.A.

SEE ALSO: 17 Examples Of Kobe's Insane Work Ethic

Join the conversation about this story »

Kobe Bryant's two-year, $48.5 million contract extension has received a lukewarm reception among NBA junkies.

Despite the fact that Kobe took a substantial pay cut, a lot of people think that paying an older player coming an injury $25 million a year is a misallocation of salary cap space and a bad move for the team.

But according to Kobe, the Lakers got exactly what they wanted in this deal.

Kobe told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo that he took the team's first offer, and there was no negotiation:

"This was easy," Bryant told Yahoo Sports on Monday night. "This wasn't a negotiation. The Lakers made their offer with cap and building a great team in mind while still taking care of me as a player.

"I simply agreed to the offer."

The terms of the contract ($23.5 million in 2014-15 and $25 million 2015-16) were designed to give the Lakers room to sign a max-contract free agent in the offseason. 

In theory, the Lakers could sign LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony if they opted out and turned down the more lucrative contracts that their respective teams can offer them.

Still, this is a monster contract. Kobe will remain the highest-paid player in the league until 2016, and even with room for a max player the Lakers are going to struggle to build a championship-quality team with limited money to spend.

It would have benefitted them greatly if Kobe took a bigger discount, so it's surprising that they started the negotiations at such a huge number.

Join the conversation about this story »