Los Angeles Lakers News: Kobe Bryant Receives Offer To Play Italian Basketball; Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell Sent To Bench
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant was recently offered a playing spot from his father's old basketball team in Italy. Meanwhile, power forward Julius Randle and shooting guard D'Angelo Russell were relegated to the bench during their game against the Toronto Raptors on Monday.
Last week, "The Black Mamba" made a public announcement that his current 20th season in the NBA would be his last. Since then, Bryant has been receiving warm welcomes in the cities where he was about to play his last game in.
Now 37-years-old, Bryant has decided to leave professional basketball, after a string of season-ending injuries throughout the last two years. While he has yet to reveal his plans after retirement, an opportunity from Europe has popped up.
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In a report by TMZ Sports, Italian basketball club Viola Reggio Calabria wrote an open letter to Bryant, offering him a roster spot in the team. It was the same club his father Joe "Jellybean" Bryant played for, from 1986-1987.
According to the letter, the club is willing to welcome Bryant with open arms, citing that "there will always be a home" for the five-time NBA champion.
"We want you to come home, to wear our colours, to represent our city, just as your father did before you," an excerpt of the letter reads. "There is a black and orange family waiting for you, with the same name on the back: 'Bryant.'"
Meanwhile, two of the Lakers' starters were relegated to the bench. In a report by Daniel Kramer for Bleacher Report, D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle were both sent to be second-stringers during the Lakers' game against the Toronto Raptors on Monday.
The report adds that at that time, Russell had not been putting up good numbers and was averaging 11 points and 3.1 assists on 41 percent field goal shooting. Randle, on the other hand, was averaging 11.7 points per game, with 9.2 rebounds on 43.3 percent field goal shooting. The Lakers lost the said game with a tally of 102-93.
But it looks like the move might have had some effect after all. The team did a little better in Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as they lost by only one point with a score of 122-123. Russell, despite not being a starter, was able to put in 23 points. Randle, in the meantime, got 20 points.
The team is currently holding a 3-19 win-loss slate.
