While defending champion Spain tries to brush off the label of favorite ahead of the basketball world championships, the United States is doing its best to make it stick. The two teams are playing an exhibition game Sunday — a rematch of the 2008 Olympic ...

The Los Angeles Lakers captured their 16th championship title as Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol paced the attack with a nail-biting victory over the Boston Celtics. Bryant scored 23 points and Spain's Gasol had 19 points and 18 rebounds for the Lakers who rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat Boston 83-79 in game seven, on Thursday. Forward Ron ...

The Los Angeles Lakers captured their 16th championship title as Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol paced the attack with a nail-biting victory over the Boston Celtics. Bryant scored 23 points and Spain's Gasol had 19 points and 18 rebounds for the Lakers who rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat Boston 83-79 in game seven, on Thursday. Forward Ron ...

Pau Gasol finally got the ball with a chance to shoot, and Kevin Garnett sent it back at him. A few minutes later, the same thing happened. Gasol was little more than a spectator of the Kobe Bryant show in Game 5 of the ...

Except for his purple and gold uniform, Derek Fisher would fit right in with the Boston Celtics. After all, he's old. So is Kobe Bryant, when it comes to basketball years. Both are in their early to-mid 30s, just like the core of Boston ...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Andrew Bynum's injured right knee continues to swell but he will play through the pain barrier to help the Los Angeles Lakers tighten their grip on the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics in Sunday's Game Two. The seven-foot (2.13m) center contributed 10 points and six defensive rebounds for the NBA champions as they ...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In many ways, Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol can be considered the 'Renaissance man' of the NBA. Not only is he one of the most eloquent and cerebral players in the league, he is also one of the most skilled. For a seven-footer, the long-haired Spaniard from Barcelona has a deft touch and surprisingly agile movement ...

President Barack Obama is tipping the Los Angeles Lakers to win a second straight NBA title this season. "I've got to go with the Lakers again," Obama said in an interview with US cable television channel TNT, a regular NBA broadcaster. Obama cited Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant as well as Pau Gasol, comparing Spain's Gasol favorably to Orlando ...

Pau Gasol scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday as the Los Angeles Lakers poured it on in the closing stages to beat Phoenix 124-112 in the NBA Western Conference finals. The victory gave the Lakers a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, from which the winners advance to the NBA finals. Kobe Bryant had 21 ...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Lakers held off a second half fightback by the Phoenix Suns to increase their lead in the Western Conference finals with a 124-112 Game Two victory on Wednesday. The Suns, crushed 128-107 in the series opener on Monday, trailed by 14 points early in the second quarter before raising hopes of an upset victory ...