Kobe Bryant:

Dear Basketball,

From the moment
I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:

I fell in love with you.

A love so deep I gave you my all —
From my mind & body
To my spirit & soul.

As a six-year-old boy
Deeply in love with you
I never saw the end of the tunnel.
I only saw myself
Running out of one.

And so I ran.
I ran up and down every court
After every loose ball for you.
You asked for my hustle
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more.

I played through the sweat and hurt
Not because challenge called me
But because YOU called me.
I did everything for YOU
Because that’s what you do
When someone makes you feel as
Alive as you’ve made me feel.

You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I’ll always love you for it.
But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.

And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have.

And we both know, no matter what I do next

I’ll always be that kid

With the rolled up socks

Garbage can in the corner

05 seconds on the clock
Ball in my hands.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1

Love you always,
Kobe

Ever since the Lakers won the #2 draft pick, I've been researching non-stop and debating back-and-forth between Jahlil Okafor and D'Angelo Russell.

Both are going to be brilliant on offense, and both will equally have to improve their defense. But after watching a few interviews, I realized Russell has something that Okafor and Towns don't really have — that cockiness and competitive fire that says, "I am the best damn player in this room and I will fucking prove it to you all."

That's the stuff that separates the really good players from the great players.

MJ has it. Kobe has it. LeBron has it. I think D'Angelo has it too.

So this morning, I called it on Twitter. Low and behold, I was right.

Welcome to Los Angeles, D'Angelo!!

Mike Trudell:

There was only an 11.9 percent chance that the Lakers would get the second pick, but team representative, coach and former Laker himself Byron Scott was more than happy to see his team grab the pick that will be L.A.'s highest since James Worthy went No. 1 in 1982.

There was a better chance that L.A. would lose its selection to Philadelphia (via Phoenix in the Steve Nash trade) by having two teams jump into the top three ahead of them, but it wasn't that kind of night for the Lakers.

There was only one team to jump up in draft position -- the Lakers.

The Basketball Gods smile upon the city of Los Angeles!

Kobe:

When you watch me shoot my fadeaway jumper, you’ll notice my leg is always extended. I had problems making that shot in the past. It’s tough. So one day I’m watching the Discovery Channel and see a cheetah hunting. When the cheetah runs, its tail always gives it balance, even if it’s cutting a sharp angle. And that’s when I was like: My leg could be the tail, right?

The greatest minds find inspiration from anything and everything.

Welcome to the City of Champions, Dwight.

Hustle. When all else fails...hustle.