Sports / Basketball
Kobe implies on Web site he wants trade
(AP)
Updated: 2007-06-18 09:29
LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant implied again that he wants to be traded,
writing on his Web site that "the Lakers and me just have two different
visions for the future." The statement posted Sunday on kb24.com was the
latest in a recent series of sometimes inconsistent comments from Bryant
about whether he wants to remain in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, seen here in April 2007 and who
is increasingly upset over the direction the National Basketball
Association team has taken, wants the club to trade him.[AFP]
"When you love something as much as I love the Lakers its hard to even
imagine thinking about being elsewhere. But, the ONE THING I will never
sacrifice when it comes to basketball is WINNING," the two-time scoring
champion wrote.
"The more I thought about the future, the more I became convinced that
the Lakers and me just have two different visions for the future."
The 28-year-old Bryant, a nine-time All Star, has four years left on his
contract - but he can terminate it following the 2008-09 season.
Bryant last month voiced frustration at Lakers management and publicly
requested he be traded after the team was eliminated by Phoenix in the
first round of the playoffs. Though he said nothing could change his
mind, Bryant later backed off after speaking with coach Phil Jackson.
Bryant wrote Sunday on his Web site that the Lakers, owned by Jerry Buss,
are not supporting him with players the team needs to win championships.
"The Lakers are pursuing a longer-term plan that is different from what
Dr. Buss shared with me at the time I re-signed as a free agent," he
wrote. "I have seen that plan unfold for the last three years and watched
great trade opportunities come and go, and have seen free agents passed
on. That has led to the Lakers not winning a playoff series."
Buss' spokesman, Bob Steiner, and Lakers spokesman John Black both
declined to comment Sunday.
Buss, who signed Bryant to a seven-year, $136.4 million contract in 2004,
issued a statement two weeks ago stating, "We will continue to pursue
every avenue possible to improve our team with him as the cornerstone."
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