Bryant helped define the West Coast’s glamour team for two decades, but securing the No. 2 pick in the second consecutive NBA Draft allows them the chance to create the foundation for the first great post-Kobe Lakers team. The front office’s burden, then, is to avoid rushing that foundation and making mistakes now that could hamper the future. MORE: Ranking top 23 free agents who might change teams Let’s take a look at their free agents, salary cap space and assets for this summer before breaking down what needs to be done....

Scott was heavily criticized for benching this year’s second overall pick D’Angelo Russell and last year’s first-round pick Julius Randle, but maintains those two players are better suited as reserves right now. MORE: Kobe’s retirement tour, chronicled | JOSEPH: Bryant’s last season is one, big brand advertisement “I like the way we’re playing from both units,” Scott said via insidesocal.com . “I’m going to stick with where it is right now....

Just days after Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and team president Masai Ujiri squashed the rumors of Nurse potentially being interviewed for the Lakers’ coaching vacancy, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Los Angeles has requested access to a different member of Toronto’s coaching staff. “Sources tell me the Lakers are planning to interview Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin as part of the search for their next head coach,” Charania said....

LOS ANGELES — With four games left before the playoffs, including one against second-place Oklahoma City, the Los Angeles Clippers are focused on fine-tuning themselves. Sure, they will take another victory over the Lakers, but as Blake Griffin said, "It doesn't mean that much to us." Griffin and Chris Paul scored 23 points apiece, and the Clippers hung their third consecutive rout on the Lakers, 120-97 Sunday to take three of four games this season from their beleaguered Staples Center co-tenants....

The team was trying to promote a giveaway with the LA Dodgers, but accidentally sent a really shirtty tweet. They tried to delete the post before anyone noticed, but they were shirt out of luck. MORE: All-time Lakers | Olajuwon still has it in NBA Africa Game | LeBron’s ‘Trainwreck’ gag reel The Lakers meant to use the word “shirt,” but must’ve missed the R key and ended up with a NSFW and short-tempered message....

The Lakers received what could turn out to be a gift when the Spurs decided to rid themselves of the headache that was Kawhi Leonard and send him out of San Antonio (and the country). Leonard, along with Danny Green, was traded to the Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick. And with that deal completed, the two-year plan that Johnson and the Lakers front office have touted is starting to take shape....

The Los Angeles Lakers star wrote a new chapter Sunday night against the Phoenix Suns, becoming the first player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists. NBA LEAGUE PASS: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial) With his second assist of the night, LeBron found Carmelo Anthony on the left wing for a 3-pointer to bring up his 10,000th career assist, making him the only player ever with 10K/10K/10K....

NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial) James was listed as questionable entering Tuesday night with an abdomen injury. He previously missed eight consecutive games earlier this month due to an abdominal strain. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, LeBron is expected to miss several games. As per the league’s health and safety protocols, he must quarantine for at least 10 days or isolate until he returns two negative tests....

But after trading runs in the final period, LeBron James and the Lakers stumbled to the finish and allowed the Clippers to seal a 112-102 win with an anticlimactic ending. Kawhi Leonard was as advertised in his Clipper debut, scoring 30 points and orchestrating a second-quarter takeover to help erase a slow start. After hitting four of their first 16 shots, the Clippers made 14 of their next 16 and took their first lead at the 7:08 mark of the second period....

Los Angeles has decided to allow general manager Rob Pelinka to take over Johnson’s role, according to an ESPN report. Pelinka, longtime agent of Kobe Bryant, was hired as the general manager alongside Johnson in 2017. He signed a five-year deal with the team. Johnson, a former Lakers star, called an impromptu meeting at the Staples Center in April to announce he was stepping down from his front office position....

Jurgen Klopp’s side looked poised to mount a strong title bid after beating Manchester City 1-0 at Anfield on New Year’s Eve, but their form has collapsed alarmingly in 2017. ‘Hazard second only to Messi and Ronaldo’ Three points from five winless league games leaves them outside the Champions League places in fifth – 13 points behind Antonio Conte’s side, who have continued to march on relentlessly. Next up for Lallana and his team-mates is a crunch clash with Tottenham on Saturday and the England international acknowledges the gap in terms of experience of winning major honours between Chelsea and the rest is vast....

The Ravens and Lamar Jackson have, somewhat confusingly, not come together on a new contract just yet, despite the All-Pro passer entering the final year of his rookie deal. The good news for Ravens fans, though, is that the two sides are talking about a new deal. On Thursday, Jackson offered a small bit of insight into contract negotiations, saying that he’s been in contact with Baltimore’s front office regarding a new deal....

Last Friday, Odom’s family tried to set up an intervention because of a scary incident earlier this month, as Extra first reported. The former Laker was vomiting while drunk and had to be removed from a Delta Airlines flight. MORE: Odom says Kanye’s music helped him | Lamar Odom through the years Ron Dock, a specialist hired by Odom’s family, told Page Six this week about the details that led Odom to dismiss his intervention....

Lampard had been in charge for just over 18 months, but leaves following five defeats in the last eight games. He will be replaced by Tuchel, with Goal understanding that a verbal agreement as been in place between Chelsea and their incoming manager for a couple of days before the news of Lampard’s departure became public. Chelsea confirmed Lampard’s exit on Monday morning with owner Roman Abramovich making an unprecedented statement, with Tuchel expected to be appointed in the next 24 hours....

In 2019, Doug Waterbury, 60, agreed to pay $850,000 and stay away from his tenants to settle two separate federal sexual harassment lawsuits. The lawsuits alleged that Waterbury demanded sexual favors from former and prospective tenants including unwanted sexual intercourse, sexual comments and nonconsensual touching and advances. The suits also alleged Waterbury offered to reduce or eliminate rent and security deposits in exchange for sexual contact, and that he also threatened to kick out residents if they rejected his advances....

"We all have a lot of respect for the Brazil in football," Donovan said Thursday during the U.S. national team's camp in Sao Paulo. "It's a great opportunity that you only ever get once, so it's truly special." Donovan, 31, has been an elder statesman on the MLS-heavy squad that arrived at the USA's World Cup base in Sao Paulo on Jan. 13. The stint in Brazil, which ends Saturday, has given the U....

The news of the knee injury comes as a major blow in the build-up to the tournament, which gets under way in just under a week. The West Ham star had worked his way into the Albiceleste’s first choice team under Jorge Sampaoli and was set to start against Iceland in his country’s opening match in Russia. But he now faces a long spell on the sidelines following the injury as Argentina’s preparations for the tournament go from bad to worse....

At an estimated 93 miles wide, the Bernardinelli-Bernstein Comet is believed to be the largest comet ever discovered. It will make a close approach to Saturn’s orbit in a decade. The comet, officially designated C/2014 UN271, has been labeled the first mega comet and it’s estimated to be around seven times as large as Mars’ moon Phobos. The average diameter of comets is around six miles, and the largest comet discovered before the Bernardinelli-Bernstein Comet, Hale-Bopp, had a diameter of around 37 miles....

The Indianapolis Star reached Bird on Friday afternoon to get his thoughts on pulling the trigger on the deal. Bird said that the 76ers reached out regarding Turner about 30 minutes before the deadline, and the deal was done before 3 p.m. "I am excited about it," Bird told The Star on Friday afternoon. "(But) all the trades are tough when you get rid of a player I've always admired and went through some tough times with us....

Doehner was 8 at the time of the crash, returning from a family vacation in Germany with his younger sister, older brother, mother and father. They were on their way home to Mexico City, where his father worked as a pharmaceutical executive. The plan was to fly from Lakehurst to Newark, then take a train to Mexico City. Interviewed by the Associated Press for the 80th anniversary of the disaster, Doehner said that he recalled his father taking movie camera footage of the ship’s dining room before going to the family’s cabin—the last time he ever saw him....