Kobe Bryant News L.A. Lakers

Team-oriented style has Lakers' Bryant playing his best

Any talk about the NBA's best player still starts with Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who, at only 28, considers himself one of the league's elder statesmen.

"He's the most talented player in the league, no longer just a guy getting points," said San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "He's an intelligent player trying to help his team win."

In some ways, Kobe Bryant has been overshadowed by the emergence and popularity of young superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, the wizardry of two-time defending league MVP Steve Nash, the late-game heroics of Gilbert Arenas and the domination of the Dallas Mavericks, led by their star, Dirk Nowitzki.

"He's been so good for so long, people take him for granted," said Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

Don't let the fact that Kobe Bryant is scoring about seven fewer points than he did last season and doesn't have the highest scoring single game in the league this season be misleading.

"It's about trying to become a better leader and trying to do whatever I can to help us win basketball games," Kobe Bryant said. "I know that's what I have to do. When you've been in the league awhile, you understand that individual things don't mean anything."

With age comes wisdom, and Kobe Bryant is playing smarter than ever and having the time of his life as he leads the young Los Angeles Lakers, who have battled injuries all season, toward the playoffs.

Kobe Bryant might be scoring less, but that's by choice as he reinvents himself. He's taking seven fewer shots but is shooting better from the field, three-point range and the free-throw line — and is averaging one more assist than he did last season, when he led the league in scoring with a 35.4 average.

What sets Kobe Bryant apart from most is that he can be just as dominant at the defensive end of the court as the offensive end. This is Kobe Bryant's 11th season in the NBA, and in his first 10 he has been named All-NBA All star game tickets seven times and placed on the all-defensive team six times. This season, he is more like a sensei.

"He has shown the ability and the willingness to trust others to make big shots," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "He showed that in his second year of our championships, too, but he had (Robert) Horry and (Derek) Fisher and guys really shooting the ball well and Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal) to finish. But to gain confidence with some real young players who haven't shown that tenor or that ability to meet that pressure situation is still a work in progress."

It's also an outlook Kobe Bryant has embraced.

He even changed his jersey number from No. 8 to 24. He says it is a sign of his refocus, saying it stems from 24 hours in a day — one day at a time.

Second-year player Ronny Turiaf says he loves what he sees in Kobe Bryant: "He is encouraging, he tries to teach, and he is really leading us in the way we need to be led. He isn't doing this for show. He is sincere."

Kobe Bryant's popularity has grown also, as the sales of his new jersey are No. 1 and he was the third-leading vote-getter in fan balloting for the all-star starters behind James and Yao Ming.

The All-Star Game has also been a contest in which Kobe Bryant has shined. In his eight previous appearances, he's averaged 18.6 points, 5.1 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals and shot 49.2%. The only time he hasn't scored in double figures in an All-Star Game was last year, when he had eight points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals.

And this time, he is looking to immerse himself even more in the festivities. Not only was he voted a starter for the ninth consecutive season, but he will be a judge in the slam-dunk competition and will also challenge Wade, James and Chris Paul in the skills competition, making it perhaps the most anticipated of all the Saturday-night festivities of All-Star Weekend other than the actual game itself.

"You want to have a good time and have fun and help the league a little bit and showcase some of the marquee players. It's the least I could do," said Kobe Bryant, who in 1997 won the slam-dunk competition. "It's going to be fun, and hopefully a lot of young players coming up will tune in to that. I know if I was a kid, I'd watch it."

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