The Lakers aren't the only team with a new big man. The Los Angeles Times just added local icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to their roster of bloggers. Among his early advice to readers? Shoot the skyhook: "The 50-plus player can still run with a younger crowd at the park or fitness club, but it's best to avoid knocking around in the mosh pit under the basket. One trick the guys won't see coming? The skyhook .........

A teacher friend of mine recently mentioned she was preparing an 80s theme party for the graduating seniors of her school. I asked, "Why 80s?" She replied that the seniors were born in 1989 and thus, they were the very last high school class to be born in that decade. I just about spit my drink all over her. I'm aware that we all age, but it still surprises the bejeezus out of me......

Back during the most heated moments of the Shaq vs. Kobe war that (probably) lead to the dismantling of the championship Lakers, I had an equally combative debate with a co-worker about which of the two players should get the heave-ho. My co-worker, a lifelong Lakers fan, said there was no way Kobe, the best player in the NBA and in the prime of his youth, should be traded instead of the frequently overweight......

The NBA goes to Vegas for the weekend and we're blinded by the sideshow even before Charles Barkley takes the court to challenge 67-year-old NBA ref Dick Bavetta in a sprint-off. First, Timmay, and now... 41-year-old Scottie Pippen wants to return as a player?!? Coincidentally, the Lakers are in the midst of their roughest stretch of the season having dropped 7 of 10. Phil and friends are definitely in need of a little somethin' somethin'.......

In early December, the Indiana Pacers were in town to face the Los Angeles Lakers. As NBA teams do, they stayed in a posh hotel -- this one in the Bel Air area. But as we Angelenos could have told them, that’s a lot of time in the car (or bus, in this case) if you want to drive out to Staples Center for a morning shoot-around, go back to the hotel for the......

Lakers 101, Pacers 87 - The Lakers won their third in a row to stay atop the Pacific Division in a commanding win over Indiana. Kobe Bryant scored 21 but left the game in the third quarter with a sprained ankle. He returned to the bench shortly after going to the locker room. Before the game, coach Phil Jackson benched starting center Andrew Bynum due to questions over his work ethic, though the 19-year-old......

Wow. Talk about winning a game you deserve to lose. The Lakers had no business winning last night against the lowly Charlotte Bobcats (who were 1-9 on the road and 5-12 overall coming into the game), but thanks to a pair of clanged free throws by career 78% free throw shooter Brevin Knight down the stretch, the Lakers escaped with a 99-98 win. As the Charlotte players walked off the court in a stunned......

After years of wandering in the coaching wilderness, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been hired as an assistant coach for the Lakers. Abdul-Jabbar's primary responsibility will be to work with first round draft pick Andrew Bynum, as well as big men Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm. This represents another stop on what has been a long journey for Kareem. He has been so desperate for a coaching job that he once took a position as a......