HoopsHype.com Rumors

During the Sports Spectacular event on Sunday night, Kobe announced (via remote video) that he was teaming up with Sports Spectacular to help eradicate homelessness. Kobe, who’s been fighting homelessness in Los Angeles along with his wife and the Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Foundation, wasn’t able to be at the event (something about a torn Achilles), but was still excited to share the news. Lakers Nation

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles, Vanessa Bryant 

Kobe Bryant: “I’d like to officially announce that we’re partnering with Sports Spectacular to help eradicate homelessness. We’re doing an event, it’s called Kobe: Up Close, and it’s about my past presence and future if you are interested. The event is August 15th at the Nokia Theater.” Lakers Nation

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles, Vanessa Bryant 

The Los Angeles Lakers player was hangin' out in Beverly Hills today when we asked about Jason's big announcement ... and the 36-year-old veteran had a lot to say. Antawn -- who's been in the league since 1998 -- told us he's glad Jason came out ... and he's happy the guy can "be who he really is." But Antawn says not everyone feels the same way -- telling us, "Of course, you're going to have some closed-minded people, let's be realistic." "That's life." TMZ.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles 

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who injured his left Achilles tendon late in the fourth quarter of last night’s 118-116 victory over Golden State, had an MRI exam this morning which confirmed a torn Achilles tendon. After confirmation of the injury, Bryant elected to have surgery to repair the torn left Achilles tendon. The successful surgery was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Dr. Stephen Lombardo of the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Group. Recovery time is expected to be a minimum of six to nine months. NBA.com

Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles, Golden State 

With his second, 10-day contract set to expire after Wednesday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Hornets backup guard Terrel Harris is expected to be signed for the remainder of the season, according to league sources. New Orleans Times-Picayune

Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles, Terrel Harris 

Before his team got taken apart by the Spurs on Wednesday, Charlotte coach Mike Dunlap revealed that he uses tape of two players to help mold budding Bobcats point guard Kemba Walker. One of them is the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul, a perennial candidate for NBA Most Valuable Player who is widely regarded as the top lead guard on the planet. The other is Tony Parker. “We really feel, mentally and physically, the way those two lead their teams is very special,” Dunlap said. “Different, but they get the same results.” Dunlap isn’t the only NBA coach to use the Spurs’ five-time All-Star as a blueprint for what it means to be a professional point guard. San Antonio Express-News

Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Los Angeles, Kemba Walker, Mike Dunlap 

Dan Woike: Per a team source, Chris Paul is a gametime decision tonight against Washington. Twitter @DanWoikeSports

Chris Paul, Los Angeles, Injuries 

Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans is getting a second opinion on his sore left knee. Evans did not travel with the Kings on Monday to Detroit, where they begin a four-game road trip Tuesday. Instead, Evans is scheduled to visit with Dr. Steve Lombardo in Los Angeles on Wednesday. ESPN.com

Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles, Injuries, Tyreke Evans 

But after Cousins' halftime tirade aimed at Smart in a Dec. 21 game at the Los Angeles Clippers led to an indefinite suspension the following day for the center and his reinstatement two days later, not everyone within the organization was happy to have him back. The decision to reinstate Cousins on Dec. 24 was made unilaterally by the team's owners and went against the wishes and planned protocol of the team's front office, according to three people with knowledge of the situation who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. USA Today

Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles 

The Cleveland Cavaliers expect injured guard Kyrie Irving to be available to play Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers. Irving, who has missed 11 games due to a fractured left index finger, has been cleared to resume practice Monday, the team announced. The second-year star initially was expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks. ESPN.com

Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles, Kyrie Irving 

What that means, in practice, is that Bryant can focus on the issues that matter to him at any particular time instead of devoting all his power to one cause. So, for his latest charitable endeavor, Kobe went down to Los Angeles's Skid Row — site of one of the largest groups of homeless Americans — to meet with a segment of the population that rarely gets any attention from media or politicians. Yahoo! Sports

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles 

He was joined by a camera crew from TakePart TV, a YouTube channel that produces web series with a sociological bent. The resulting five-part miniseries, "Mission: Kobe Bryant," hit the internet earlier this week. You can watch the trailer above and learn more after the jump. From the press release: Mission follows Bryant as he documents an honest and unfiltered account of challenges facing residents of Skid Row, the downtown Los Angeles area with the largest concentration of homeless people in the United States. Through Bryant's personal and candid conversations with residents of The Los Angeles Mission, a nonprofit organization that cares for homeless people in the area, Mission highlights key social issues affecting millions of homeless Americans and how organizations are helping people regain their lives. Yahoo! Sports

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles 

It took a while for the big news to sink in for Pau Gasol that Phil Jackson wasn't returning to coach the Los Angeles Lakers for a third time. He read about it late Sunday on Twitter that Mike D'Antoni was the Lakers' surprise hire, but didn't believe it until the team made it official. "Everybody had expectations about it," Gasol said after practice Monday. "They were all pretty high. We all understand what Phil brings to the table and how successful he has been since he's been here and what he means to the city, to the franchise. "It couldn't happen. It couldn't be for whatever the reasons are. So we move forward. That's what we do as professionals." Yahoo! Sports

Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, Mike D'Antoni, Los Angeles 

Mike Brown has been fired by the Los Angeles Lakers, according to his agent Warren Legarie. The Lakers are off to a 1-4 start and will play Golden State tonight at the Staples Center. USA Today

Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles, Mike Brown, Warren LeGarie, Golden State, Staples Center 

New Orleans Hornets injured shooting guard Eric Gordon will undergo more personalized and intensive rehabilitation workouts this week in Los Angeles to help in his recovery from recurring problems with his right knee, the team announced Wednesday. The Hornets and their medical staff arranged for Gordon to intensify his rehab regimen. The prognosis is still in the four to six week range for his return, according to team officials. Gordon missed all of the preseason and the first three games because of a sore right knee. It's the same knee that forced Gordon to miss all but nine games last season after requiring arthroscopic surgery last February to remove cartilage particles. New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles, Injuries, Eric Gordon 

Paul's and Howard's families remain close; the players' parents even went to lunch together this week in Los Angeles. But Paul said he hasn't talked to Howard since Howard was dealt to the Lakers. One source said Paul is still frustrated by Howard's indecision in their efforts to become teammates. "I'm pretty sure he's busy with family and all that stuff," Howard said. "I've been busy. We'll have time. We'll be here for the long haul." Said Paul: "I know that they got stuff going on and we got stuff going on." Yahoo! Sports

Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles 

The Pacers announced Tuesday that forward Danny Granger will be out “indefinitely” with soreness in his left knee. He is to receive a second opinion, with an update to follow. Granger injured a tendon in his left knee toward the end of the second-round playoff series with Miami last season, and tweaked it during off-season workouts. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection in Los Angeles on Sept. 16, a procedure in which blood is drawn from the patient, spun in a centrifuge to separate the platelet-poor plasma, and injected into the damaged tendon. Granger expressed confidence throughout training camp that he would have a healthy knee during the upcoming season. He participated in the final two preseason games. He played 12 minutes at Cleveland, scoring nine points, and 22 minutes against Chicago in South Bend last Friday, scoring 10 points. NBA.com

Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles, Injuries 

After spending the past few offseasons working out in Los Angeles, NBA small forward Danny Granger -- who plays for the Indiana Pacers -- is perhaps looking to make Los Angeles his permanent offseason home with the purchase of a $3.7 million mansion. The 5,100 square feet contemporary structure, built in 1990, features walls of glass, city views and 15-foot-tall ceilings, and three large terraces, a pool with a bar, a gym with a sauna, home theater, four bedrooms, and five bathrooms. iRealty Times

Indiana Pacers, Danny Granger, Los Angeles 

Unrestricted free agent forward Matt Barnes, who spent the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, says that continues to talk about re-signing with the team despite a July arrest. "I'm actually a free agent right now," Barnes said in a TMZ.com video interview. "So [the Lakers] are one of the teams we are talking to. There are a couple of other teams. Hopefully we'll get this arrest situation out of the way so I can go ahead and move forward with my career." CBSSports.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Free Agency, Los Angeles, Matt Barnes 

A brief summer league chit-chat with Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan. On the addition of Lamar Odom to Clippers: "Lamar and I actually worked out [Wednesday]. It was good. Lamar is a huge threat offensively and defensively at different positions. He's gonna help us out a lot this year. He can handle the ball, me and him and Blake in the pick-and-roll with [Chris Paul], it's going to be good. He's an all-around great player, so it's going to be good for us. "Last year, we're not really worried about that. We're just about him, with the Clippers, and how much he's going to help us. Not just Lamar but we just signed Chauncey, we just got Grant Hill. That's a lot of veterans [to add to the mix]." ESPN.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, Phoenix Suns, Chris Paul, Lamar Odom, Los Angeles, Summer League, Grant Hill, DeAndre Jordan