New ball tested

Many NBA players, from Steve Nash to Shaquille O'Neal, are criticizing the new synthetic Spalding ball designed for this season. Lakers Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom aren't thrilled either, though they aren't complaining as loudly or passionately. O'Neal's analysis of the switch from leather to synthetic for reporters in Miami: "It's like touching an exotic dancer and then going and touching a plastic, blow-up doll."

Indeed, Kobe Bryant admitted: "I'm old school, so I love the old-school ball."

Odom added: "By the second or third quarter in the NBA game, guys perspire a lot, and once that (new) ball gets wet, it just kind of slips out of your hand. I guarantee you in the beginning of the season you'll see a match probably lost just by a simple pass or a guy trying to catch the ball or going up for a layup by himself the ball will slip out of his hand."

The NBA made the change in search of uniformity with a ball that doesn't need to be broken in. Players have stated the grip is very different.

Kwame Brown, who made 54.4 percent of his foul shots last season, has complained that the new ball is harder to shoot. And Odom, although he also has rust from limited play over the summer, has looked as sloppy as ever finishing shots around the basket with the new ball in training camp.

But Bryant and Odom said they've played with all sorts of balls in their lifetimes. Odom talked about playing with a handball or a tennis ball; Bryant said he played with balled-up tape or a sock.

"I played with a sock; I think I can play with this," Bryant expressed. "I don't really think it's that big a deal."

Kobe Bryant on his surgically repaired right knee holding him out of practices: "We don't want to rush it. We're just taking our time, getting stronger with it and letting the scar tissue heal."

Japanese Tour has begun

Kobe Bryant is busy with a promotional tour in Asia. On Monday, he arrived in Tokyo, Japan. The Kobe 81 Tour, named after his record 81 points that he scored in a single game last season, will move to Beijing, China later this week.

And soon after his arrival, Kobe got down to doing what he knows best - playing basketball.

Indeed, a coaching clinic was arranged, and more than one hundred children waited for their star at Yoyogi Park, near downtown Tokyo.

About thirty lucky youngsters were picked for the clinic where Kobe gave an exhibition of his supreme skills that has helped him create many a record in his NBA career so far.

The LA Lakers star started off with a simple message for the kids.

"Have fun first of all, have fun and just enjoy it by playing basketball. I play this because I love to play. It's fun for me. And just on top of that just being creative.": Kobe Bryant.

Kobe's skills were sorely missed by the USA team in the recent World Championship that concluded in Japan on the weekend. A knee injury forced Bryant to skip the tournament and the US 'Dream Team' could only finish with a bronze medal.

Fans however made use of their time with Kobe.

They were eager to find out his favourite move, hoping there would be a secret weapon to the 28-year old's success.

"Normally I don't have a favourite one. I try practicing all of them. So, during the game there is one move I have to use and I need to feel comfortable to use. I do not have any particular one I favour. I just practice it and make it comfortable.": Kobe Bryant.

Bryant will continue on his Kobe 81 tour to Beijing, China later this week.

Kobe in PlayStation game

In a very good announcement, Kobe Bryant and his new, No. 24 Lakers jersey will be the starring attraction for NBA 07, the new PlayStation 2 video game that will be released this fall, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. said Friday.

In fact, the agreement, announced in front of a crowd of youngsters in the gymnasium of the Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club in Los Angeles, means the first new major sports marketing deal for Bryant since sexual-assault charges were brought against him in July 2003, although the charges were dropped in September 2004.

However, financial terms of the sponsorship deal were not released.

Bryant's image will be featured on packaging for the video game, and he will be in television and print ads.

"Kobe was our option from the start, no question," said Sharon Shapiro, Sony Computer Entertainment's senior director of promotions and sports product marketing. Bryant said that the Sony contract "just naturally made sense because we're both trying to have a strong impact on our fields."

The Lakers player said that he is in regular contact with Shapiro to discuss advertising and marketing plans for the game that also will be produced for Sony's portable video game player and the PlayStation3 line to be introduced in November.

It's important to mention that Phoenix Suns star Amare Stoudemire was the featured player in the NBA 06 video game. That game was the ninth biggest seller in the $10.5-billion video games category during 2005, according to NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research firm.

Video game fans — males between the ages of 14 and 34 buy most of the games — aren't likely to balk at buying a game because of Bryant's high-profile legal problems.

"I'd guess that 81 points speaks a lot louder," said David Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute, in reference to the Lakers star's single-game performance last season. "The video gamer is much more concerned with his on-the-court performance."

Sports marketers also said that Bryant, who will turn 28 next week, could be an effective spokesman for Sony even though the NBA has steadily added younger stars. Those include LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, three of the top five NBA draftees in 2003 who were named as tri-captains for the USA Basketball team.

Kobe will be back in October

Lakers' star Kobe Bryant says his right knee is pain free. That's why the player thinks he will be ready to go when training camp begins in October.

The popular basketball player noticed the great evolution of his injury: "By then I should be full bore, completely healed up, strong, ready to go,".

In fact, Bryant has been resting the knee this summer, but continues upper body work and some light work on the exercise bicycle. "With scar tissue, they really want me to let it settle, just let the scar tissue heal before you get out there and start running around," Bryant expressed. "Your scar tissue comes back too quickly, you'll wind up having to do the same procedure again in a year or two."

New Bryant's foundation will see the light

In a really great gesture, Kobe Bryant Thursday announced he is forming a foundation providing assistance to persons who need financial assistance to help make their dreams come true.

In fact, the first project of the Vivo Foundation is Vivo Del Mondo, a program providing an all-expense paid nine-day trip to Italy beginning next week for eight black and Latin college students.

The popular basketball player announced the recipients of the trip Thursday night at a West Los Angeles restaurant.

The goal of Vivo Del Mondo is to provide the students with an international travel experience that will offer them a broader and expanded context to discover and develop their life passions and encourage students to think, question and formulate their own beliefs, according to Kobe Bryant.

It's also good to mention that the students will visit Rome, Florence and Venice between August 8 to 16.

As we said, the students selected to take the trip were affiliated with the Hispanic College Fund and Phase3, which provides college scholarships for black students.

"This is very exiting for us to be able to have the opportunity to do something like this," Bryant said. "(With) me growing up oversees and being exposed to another world, another way of life, to be able to open those doors to somebody else is special."

It's important to keep in mind that Bryant spent eight years of his childhood in Italy while his father Joe was playing professional basketball there.

Team USA getting ready for Japan 2006

The team is ready. LeBron James joined fellow class of 2003 NBA draft members Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Kirk Hinrich in making the cut as the USA trimmed its roster to 15 for the World Basketball Championships.

According to experts, they were expected to pass the first round of cuts as the American squad wrapped up a six-day training camp here on Tuesday.

We must keep in mind that after letting Seattle SuperSonics guard Luke Ridnour and Charlotte Bobcats forward Adam Morrison go on Tuesday, American boss Mike Krzyzewski still has three more cuts to make before the Worlds which begin August 19 in Japan. "I spoke to them (Ridnour and Morrison) and they were understanding and very appreciative," Krzyzewski noticed.

In fact, this will be one of the youngest teams full of NBA stars the U.S. has sent to the Worlds. Krzyzewski had to retool the roster because a number of important players either declined to play for the national team or pulled out with injuries. That absent list includes guard Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers (knee injury), Paul Pierce of Boston (elbow) and rookie guard J.J. Redick of Orlando (back).

"If they (injuries and withdrawals) hadn't have happened, it for sure would have been tough to get down to 15 or 16 players, but these things take care of themselves," Krzyzewski admitted. Hinrich, 25, is no lock to survive that cut, but his 2003 draft classmates almost certainly are.

LeBron James, the 21-year-old superstar swingman of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Wade, the electric 24-year-old All-Star guard of the NBA champion Miami Heat, are the best of the bunch and among the 10 players chosen that are 25 or younger.

Other youngsters include Bosh (22), the All-Star forward of the Toronto Raptors, and Denver forward Carmelo Anthony (22); guards Gilbert Arenas of Washington (24) and Chris Paul of New Orleans (21); swingman Joe Johnson of Atlanta (25); forward-centre Dwight Howard of Orlando (20); and centre Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix (23).

"We do have a lot of young players," Krzyzewski said. "You could put seven or eight of those guys on a team and every one of them would be under 25 and they're good."

The elder statesmen include Los Angeles Clippers forward Elton Brand, Washington forward Antawn Jamison, Sacramento centre Brad Miller and defensive-minded forwards Shane Battier of Houston and Bruce Bowen of San Antonio.

It's important to mention that Team USA has not won an international event since the 2000 Olympics, where it was pushed in both the semi-final and final by Lithuania and France.

What's more, in the 2002 World Championships at Indianapolis, the Americans lost three times and finished an embarrassing sixth place.

And in the 2004 Olympics at Athens, Greece, Team USA again lost three encounters and settled for a bronze medal.

In fact, if Team USA does not win the World Championships - which it has not done since 1994 - it must qualify through the 2007 FIBA Tournament of the Americas in Venezuela. Time will tell.

Basketball World Cup may not see Kobe Bryant

Kobe went through a minor surgery on his right knee Saturday and is highly unlikely to play for the United States in the next world championships taking place this summer.

It's important to know that USA Basketball said Bryant is not expected to miss any of his commitments with his NBA team Los Angeles Lakers.

In fact, the announcement Saturday that the U.S. team will be without the NBA's leading scorer comes just five days before the Americans open their training camp in Las Vegas.

USA Basketball said that the Lakers' player will still attend part of the camp and will travel with the team in Asia for training in exhibitions in China and South Korea, and the FIBA world championships in Japan.

Experts fear, though, that full recovery from the procedure normally takes eight to 12 weeks, leaving it doubtful Bryant will be available for any of the world championships, which run from Aug. 19-Sept. 3.

We must mention tjat the U.S. has to choose its 12-man roster for the worlds before competition starts, and it can't be modified.

"We trust that Kobe will have a total and speedy recovery, and we were pleased that he expressed a willingness to remain as involved with our team as possible through this process," USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo officially expressed. "Kobe being with the players will add to our squad chemistry and his presence will help provide valuable off court leadership."