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No thanks Lakers' Bryant says it's unlikely he'll play in Olympics
Posted: Monday June 19, 2000 08:56 AM
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) -- Wedding plans and a need for personal time prompted Kobe Bryant to say Sunday that it's unlikely he'll play in the Olympics as a replacement for Grant Hill. "Right now, I'm kind of leaning toward not going," Bryant said. "There's a lot I'd like to do this summer -- spend time with my family, get married, relax. I haven't given it that much thought, really. I'll give it some more thought after the season." Hill, who broke his ankle during the first round of the playoffs, has already withdrawn from the team. It's no secret that USA basketball would like to have Bryant on the team, but it requires a six-week commitment from the time the team gathers for training camp in mid-August until the gold-medal game Oct. 1. Bryant is getting married over the summer to 18-year-old Vanessa Laine, a recent graduate of Marina High School in nearby Orange County. He gave his fiancee a seven-carat diamond engagement ring earlier this summer. Bryant also plans to spend time in Italy working with the professional basketball team he recently bought a 50 percent interest in. Coach Phil Jackson, who has spoken to Bryant about his dilemma, offered some insight into what's going through Bryant's head. "He's thinking how unfair it is to be challenged for his unpatriotic stance of not going to the Olympic Games, perhaps," Jackson said. "Kobe's getting married; it's his personal time; this is something that should be special for him. He should make that choice according to whether he's going to set up a family. "They had an opportunity to get to Kobe long before this and before guys backed out. If they wanted him as an alternative, they probably should have asked him last summer. He's made plans in his own personal life, and he's got to honor that," Jackson said. "These things have to be left alone. Maybe you have to back away on some level when someone has a marriage or a childbirth or something like that." Bryant said he will make a final decision "after I have that ring on my finger." He was referring to an NBA championship ring, not his wedding ring. The Lakers could close out the best-of-seven NBA Finals on Monday night. NBA deputy commissioner and USA Basketball president Russ Granik had mentioned Bryant and Charlotte's Eddie Jones as possible replacements for Hill on the Olympic team. Other possibilities, especially if the team decides to find another small forward, are Indiana's Jalen Rose and Vancouver's Shareef Abdur-Rahim. "This is all speculation, a replacement for Grant Hill has not even been named yet," NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said. Perhaps so, but during a USA Basketball conference call last week it was tacitly acknowledged that Bryant was the top choice. The call was held a day after Bryant's brilliant performance in Game 4 of the finals, when he scored eight of his 28 points in overtime of a 120-118 Lakers' victory. Rose left no doubt about his feelings on the subject of playing in the Games, should he be asked. "I'd be excited about the opportunity to go to the Olympics," he said. "I know Grant Hill was a '3' man [small forward]; I don't know if they're going to replace him with a '3' man. I'd definitely be excited for the opportunity if it comes." The Olympic team reports to San Diego on Aug. 24 -- the day after Bryant's 22nd birthday -- and starts training camp in Maui the following day. Meanwhile, as the Lakers gathered at their suburban practice facility, Bryant said the left ankle he sprained early in Game 2 was feeling fine.
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