Los Angeles Honors Kobe, Gianna Bryant With Public Memorial

GREG BEACHAM / The Associated Press Feb 24, 2020 Mourners gather Monday at the Staples Center to say farewell to the basketball superstar and his 13-year-old daughter. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Bryant’s Pilot May Have Gotten Lost in the Fog

STEFANIE DAZIO, DAVID KOENIG and BERNARD CONDON / The Associated Press Jan 27, 2020 Aviation experts question whether his helicopter should have been flying, given that police agencies had grounded their choppers due to fog. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Kobe Bryant, His Daughter and 7 Others Die in Helicopter Crash

STEFANIE DAZIO / The Associated Press Jan 26, 2020 The sudden death at age 41 of the Lakers legend sets off an outpouring of grief; inquiry is underway at the scene near Calabasas, Calif. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

The Black Donald Trump vs. the Racist in Chief

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Dec 5, 2017 Of all the African-American sports figures who drive the president nuts, none could annoy him more than Lavar Ball, an Amateur Athletic Union coach and CEO of the Big Baller Brand. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

NBA Legend Wilt Chamberlain Doesn’t Get the Respect He Deserves

Allen Barra / Truthdig Feb 23, 2017 The Hall of Fame center may or may not have been the best player in pro basketball history, but undoubtedly he was the greatest. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Last Call for Vin Scully, the King of Los Angeles

Mark Heisler / Truthdig Sep 23, 2016 After 67 years as Dodgers baseball play-by-play announcer, the 88-year-old legend is retiring at the end of the season—and remains the biggest star in town. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Kobe-Less Lakers Era Begins With Jerry Buss’ Kids Still Looking for a Road Back to the Glory Days

Mark Heisler / Truthdig Apr 14, 2016 Guess what happens after a parent hands over the keys to a multimillion-dollar sports enterprise. Hint: It often isn’t pretty. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

The NBA Presents an Instant Rivalry for the Age of Hyper-Engagement

Mark Heisler / Truthdig Jan 27, 2016 In the past, sports rivalries -- notably in baseball -- evolved and played out over decades. The rise of the NBA shows how much things have changed. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Kobe Bryant Plays for a Destiny He Realized at Age 6

Peter Z. Scheer / Truthdig Feb 19, 2014 If this weekend's All-Star Game was a retirement party for Kobe Bryant, the Lakers look pretty dumb giving him $48.5 million over the next two years. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Missing: The L.A. Times’ Provocateur Extraordinaire

Mark Heisler / Truthdig Aug 27, 2013 No, I don’t know what’s going on with the Los Angeles Times’ love-him-or-hate-him TJ Simers, whose sports column has disappeared from the paper since June 2, when he staged a free throw shooting contest between his grown daughter, Kelly Nielsen, and NBA star Dwight Howard Simers, whose sports column has disappeared from the paper in June after he staged a free throw shooting contest with Dwight Howard. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Being Kobe Bryant Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry

Peter Z. Scheer / Truthdig Apr 14, 2011 I was just about to get over this whole Kobe Bryant thing when I hit the sports page and was reminded of his insulting non-apology. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Obama Puts Lakers to Work in D.C.

Staff / Truthdig Dec 15, 2010 These guys enjoy a good deal of pampering as it is, and thus President Obama apparently felt no remorse in enlisting Kobe Bryant and his fellow NBA champs from the Los Angeles Lakers to spend a day serving the D.C. community rather than resting on their nest of laurels. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )