In 2008, Bryant led the Lakers to a 57-25 regular season record and another NBA championship, the first title without Shaquille O’Neal. He averaged 28.3 ppg and was named NBA MVP for his efforts. MORE: Trade deadline winners & losers | NBA Finals All-Time Game 7’s But why did Bryant only earn one MVP award when his talent and performance merited more than one? Bryant was a recent guest on the Grantland Basketball Hour and when asked about it, he blamed the media....

At the NBA Draft Lottery, Los Angeles fans were hopeful when the final two spots came down to their team and the Timberwolves. It was at that moment their collective hearts broke once again as Minnesota grabbed the No. 1 pick and the Lakers were forced to choose second. MORE: Timberwolves win lottery | Lottery busts | Westbrook’s unlucky lottery shirt Kobe Bryant had a great sense of humor about the whole ordeal and even cracked a potty joke about it....

The former Lakers star voiced the hype video for Thursday night’s quarterfinal match in Seattle between the Americans and Ecuador. He’s no Liev Schreiber, but who is? MORE: Classic photos of Kobe Bryant Props to the Mamba for going with the Spanish affectations at the end. Makes sense, seeing how he rides with FC Barcelona.

Bryant’s Lakers topped the Spurs in San Antonio 112-110 in overtime Friday night, a day after Bryant ripped his fellow players during practice. MORE: Kupchak thinks Kobe will retire after ‘16 | Top NBA moments of 2014 That allowed Kobe to have the last word on whether he went too far with his profane tirade which included the now-famous phrase “soft like Charmin.” “Look, we can all criticize my style of leadership all day long,” Bryant said, according to The Associated Press....

“That’s true,” Bryant confirmed via the Washington Post. “A long time ago? Yeah.” MORE: Bryant to miss rest of season | Watch Kobe learn severity of injury | Projecting West reserves Bryant, 36, felt the Wizards offered what was important to him at the time: an opportunity to establish his own legacy and turn a downtrodden franchise into a champion. Bryant yearned to prove everyone wrong and show the public that he could not win without O’Neal, and who better to help him grow than Jordan?...

This season will be Bryant’s last in the NBA, and he said he wants his last competitive basketball game to come wearing a Lakers uniform. MORE: Five NBA teams with massive holes to fill | Kobe Bryant puts friendship-seeking babies on notice Bryant played for Team USA during both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, helping the U.S. win gold medals in both. Bryant is averaging 17 points, 3.4 assists and 4....

Bryant scored 12 points and hit two cruicial shots in the fourth quarter Wednesday night to lead the Lakers to a 108-104 win over the Wizards. He had 31 points overall on 10-of-24 shooting, including a 5-for-11 fourth quarter. MORE: Classic photos of Kobe | Byron Scott’s job is safe… For now The first clutch shot came with 58 seconds left and the Wizards up 99-98 after a pair of John Wall free throws....

Michigan football has endured so many last-minute losses over the years, and they are the kind that are replayed on a loop for years. No college football fanbase has that many heartbreaking losses of that magnitude. ESPN will replay that game Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. It’s a chance to relive Kordell Stewart’s legendary Hail Mary in 1994. It’s a game Wolverines fans might want to avoid. New York Times bestselling author John U....

Within the episode, Kourtney tells her mom, Kris Jenner, about a visit to the doctor that she describes as “awful.” Kourtney and her partner, Blink-182 drummer Barker, currently have no children together, but both have kids from previous relationships. Kourtney has three children with Scott Disick, while her current fiance (and almost husband) has two children with ex-wife, former Miss USA Shanna Moakler. In the latest episode of The Kardashians on Hulu, Kourtney opens up about her struggles to conceive at 43 years old, and about how a drug intended to help has had the opposite effect....

The 24-year-old was a regular in Zinedine Zidane’s plans during the Frenchman’s final season at the Blancos helm, with 36 appearances made across all competitions. He does, however, face fierce competition for places at Santiago Bernabeu and was restricted to just 10 starts in La Liga during the 2017-18 campaign. It has been suggested that he could move on in search of more regular minutes elsewhere, with various landing spots mooted across Europe, but his representative has sought to quash the rumours....

“I would caution against having excessive expectation regarding results of the meeting,” Peskov said. “But proceed from the assumption that the event is very important in practical terms. It would be wrong to downplay the importance of the meeting.” He said differences between Moscow and Washington run too deep, and that nothing will be simply “reset” after the summit. For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below. “It’s obvious that the negative potential that has accumulated in our bilateral relations has some inertia,” Peskov said during a conference call with reporters....

Kobach ran for Governor of Kansas in 2018, a race he lost. Counting on Kobach’s losing political record, Kansas Democrats ran attack ads against Marshall in an attempt to have Republicans vote for Kobach. Strategists hoped that Kobach’s presence on the ballot would persuade Kansans to vote for Bollier. Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932. In a television advertisement sponsored by the Sunflower State PAC, a committee with ties to the Democratic Party, Marshall was described as “another Washington politician stuck in special interest muck....

Doan gave Letang a hard shove to the chest near the end boards, and Letang’s head appeared to snap back against the boards as he fell to the ice. Doan was not given a penalty on the play. MORE: Red Wings shut down Lightning | Preds earn playoff berth | Ducks in, too (Source: Sportsnet) Pens forward Steve Downie and defenseman Rob Scuderi helped a dazed Letang off the ice....

Boy, do they need him. Brooks Orpik remains out with a concussion, and Paul Martin and Rob Scuderi are down with leg injuries. If you're playing along at home, that's the Penguins' top four defensemen sitting with the Elf on the shelf. Surgery was done to treat the infection, and Letang is wearing a cast to keep his arm stable and prevent the wound from reopening, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review....

The pledge follows the company’s announcement on March 21 where it committed to provide a one-time bonus to frontline associates, which they will receive on April 3. This latest bonus, which is a $2 premium above an hourly rate employees base rate of pay, will be applied to hours worked March 29 through April 18. To help employees have access to additional cash, Kroger will disburse the premium weekly....

“Before he will be licensed to fight in California again, boxer Kubrat Pulev must appear in front of the commission and demonstrate that he will conform to this principle of respect,” CSAC Deputy Director of Communications Veronica Harms said. Join DAZN and watch more than 100 fight nights a year During a press conference with recently hired celebrity attorney Gloria Allred, Ravalo also alleged that after the interview, while she was putting some things away, the 37-year-old from Bulgaria grabbed her butt....

OFFICIAL: Ake returns to Chelsea from Bournemouth The France international had not played a senior game for Chelsea since he tore his cruciate ligament in a game against Manchester United back in February 2016. He has returned on time to face Chelsea’s lower-league opposition in the FA Cup, with Antonio Conte making a host of changes after a busy but successful festive schedule. Zouma was an unused substitute in each of the last five games as he was eased back into the first team after a long spell out....

“We urge citizens to inform us of troop movements, to make Molotov cocktails, and neutralize the enemy,” the Ukrainian ministry of defense said on social media, urging citizens to build homemade petrol bombs. The alert came as the ministry said Russian forces appeared to have infiltrated a residential district of Kyiv. Videos posted on social media showed Russian tanks driving through Obolon, located just north of downtown Kyiv. “We ask citizens to inform about the movement of equipment!...

Kyiv residents fled to bomb shelters as multiple missiles struck the city after 8:00 a.m. local time, killing at least five people and injuring a further 51 people, according to Vitalii Klychko, Kyiv’s mayor. Videos taken at different metro stations used as bomb shelters across the city showed residents largely unphased by the attacks, singing Ukrainian songs together, including the country’s national anthem, a Ukrainian folk song titled “Oh, in the Cherry Orchard” and “How not to love you, my Kyiv....

In his first shift of the game, Clifford laid a dangerous hit on Lightning forward Ross Colton. Clifford checked him square in the numbers from behind, resulting in a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct just 6:59 into the game. Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe was not happy with Clifford’s decision to lay that hit on Colton, saying after the game, “Cliff’s hit is not a hit you can make there....