E-commerce, a slam-dunk for Kobe Bryant in China

A video clip of Kobe Bryant trying to learn Chinese internet slang has had hundreds of thousands of hits in the last two months.

The NBA star told Xinhua that he was learning Chinese to understand comments left by customers at his new Taobao store Kobe Incorporated on Alibaba.

Bryant is just one of many overseas celebrities starting online businesses in China. Alibaba, the world's biggest shopping portal, has recruited some 100,000 celebrities to promote products for some of its 10 million vendors across its two main sites, Taobao and TMall.

Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant Gets The Veteran He Needs

Kobe Bryant has always been a tough-minded leader, pushing his teammates to the limit just as he would himself. He has had his fair share of run-ins with teammates in the past, but has also won five championships that prove he is a winner. Now, he finds himself in a difficult situation with a young Los Angeles Lakers‘ roster that has struggled in recent years. They have added some veterans in free agency, but Metta World Peace may be the one who can bridge the gap between Bryant and the rest of the team.

The Lakers may not be championship contenders, but you can expect Bryant to give it his all every game and try to will his team to the playoffs. This includes motivating the younger players, who are still developing and adapting to the professional game. It is easy to say things will go well before the season starts, but if the losses start piling up, things could go bad very quickly.

Adding World Peace to the training camp roster is a good move with an eye on the future. World Peace is no longer the defensive menace that he once was, but he is a hard-worker who has had his share of ups and downs in the league. He has won a championship with Bryant, and could possibly be the veteran presence that the team needs in the locker room.

The younger players will need someone to go to when things are not going well during the season, and World Peace has matured significantly since entering the league. He can help them with the little things to become successful, as well as making sure that tensions do not get out of hand between teammates. He is an intimidating presence who can push teammates but can also be a helping hand as well. If he can make the roster, he could be a valuable member of the team even if his floor contributions are not as great as they once were.

Kobe Bryant Steals High-Five From Draymond Green in "NBA 2K16"

If you're on the fence about getting NBA 2K16, let's just go ahead and sway you in one direction. In addition to witnessing the Chris Bosh videobomb, you can see Kobe Bryant being an asshole (this is a compliment, by the way) to the opposing team.

Just look at how Bryant steps in after Harrison Barnes makes a free throw and steals a high-five away from Draymond Green. 

To recap, the graphics are nice, the gameplay is solid and they got Kobe being Kobe to a T. Meanwhile, over at NBA Live 16, Kevin Love is doing wacky shit like this. 

Jackson doesn’t expect Kobe to retire after season

GREENBURGH NEW YORK – Phil Jackson doubts this is Kobe Bryant’s final season — though thinks it may be Bryant’s last in Los Angeles.

With Bryant going into the last season of his contract and coming off a couple of injury-shortened seasons, his future will be among the biggest questions around the NBA this season.

“I don’t think it’s his last year,” Jackson said Friday. “Sounds like it may be his last year as a Laker, but I think that’s kind of what came out of there.”

Jackson, who coached Bryant to five NBA championships with the Lakers, is now the Knicks’ president of basketball operations. He said he sent Bryant a message last month for his 37th birthday.

Bryant has played his entire career with the Lakers after they acquired his rights from Charlotte in the 1996 draft. He was limited to six games in 2013-14 because of Achilles and knee injuries, and made it through only 35 last season before shoulder surgery.

He isn’t expected to decide on his future until after this season. The Lakers are planning how they will monitor Bryant’s minutes in his 20th season.

Jackson said great players such as Bryant and Michael Jordan, who teamed with him for six championships in Chicago, can still handle the speed of the game as they get older, but “your body fails you.”

“That’s the denominator there. It’s kind of a comeuppance from God or from age,” Jackson said. “With Kobe, he’s had two seasons (that) have been aborted because of injuries. I think he’s going to be really better than people think, and I think there will still be a future for him as he goes through this season and into next year, where people are going to ask, ‘Do you still want to play basketball?’ So we’ll see how it goes.”

Bryant is the NBA’s No. 3 career scorer, and there would likely be interest if he wants to play on — perhaps even from the Knicks. Jackson is rebuilding a club that went 17-65 last season and could use scoring help beyond Carmelo Anthony.

Jackson left the Lakers and coaching after the 2010-11 season, though maintains a nearby home and is engaged to Lakers president Jeanie Buss. Knicks coach Derek Fisher, Bryant’s longtime teammate, shook his head and said “nah” when he and Jackson were asked if they thought this would be Bryant’s farewell.

“I just want him to be healthy, basically, and then go from there,” Fisher said. “I personally wouldn’t like this to be his last year playing basketball. I don’t think that the game of basketball deserves for him not to play.”

Paul Pierce jokes that Kobe Bryant can't accept reduced role with Lakers

At 37 years old, Kobe Bryant's competitiveness has shown no signs of slowing down. However while his mind is telling him one thing, Bryant's body seems to be telling him the exact opposite. With his last three seasons ending in injury, Lakers head coach Byron Scott is considering limiting Bryant's minutes next season however, GM Mitch Kupchak has said that “there hasn't been any formal discussions” about it yet. One thing is clear though, Bryant's career is slowly winding down, a fact that his NBA colleague Paul Pierce doesn't think the Lakers star has grasped yet.

Appearing on the Fred Roggin Show on the Beast 980 in Los Angeles, Pierce joked that that Bryant has not been willing to accept a reduced role, something that he himself is willing to do with the Clippers.

Pierce is well aware that his career is coming to an end so he has been willing to accept a smaller role in his brief stint in Washington and now with the Clippers. He knows thatWesley Johnson may start over him and Pierce has already said that if the Clippers win the championship this season, he will retire. But while Pierce's fake coughing is a clear indication that he was joking, he does have a point about Bryant.

Some people like Phil Jackson, believe that Bryant will continue to play after this season. That is certainly possible but with his recent spate of season-ending injuries, Bryant can't push himself past his limit again. The success of the Lakers largely depends on their young core of Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson, so if Bryant wants to "shock da world" by making the playoffs this season, he may need to follow Pierce's lead and accept a reduced role.

H/T: PBT

Kobe Bryant may want to listen to Paul Pierce. (USATSI)