Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) talks with a referee after being called for a foul in the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena.
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The decision takes the Team USA officials off the hook from either having to cut one of the greatest players in National Basketball Association history and a key part of the United States’ recent success in global play or keeping him on the roster for the Rio de Janeiro Games as a largely ceremonial move.
Bryant is averaging 17 points, 3.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game this season. Booker received an elbow to the face from Sacramento star DeMarcus Cousins during Thursday’s loss and his probable absence opens up more playing time for suddenly-hot rookie Trey Lyles.
But let’s face it – the fans tune in to All-Star games and the festivities that accompany them for the entertainment value and right now, there are fewer acts more entertaining than the Black Mamba in his last hurrah.
The saying is actually Kobe paraphrasing his own quote from after the end of last season, when he said, “Friends come and go, but banners hang forever”.
It just won’t be as a player.
“I think it’s pretty sweet to have the final game be in a Laker uniform”, Bryant said, speaking to reporters before Saturday’s game against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake.
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The Lakers are scheduled to play their final game of the regular season against the Jazz on April 13 in Los Angeles. These are the guys who deserve the spots in Rio.
