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The Lakers appear set to retire Kobe Bryant’s jersey on Dec. 18, less than two years after he last donned it in a dazzling and dramatic 60-point sendoff. The only question will be which number hangs from the rafters: No. 8? No. 24? TMZ reported early Tuesday moing that the Lakers had informed season-ticket holders to “hold on to tickets” for the Dec. 18 game against Golden State for a “special e...

By the time Lonzo Ball begins his first training camp with the Lakers on Sept. 24 he will have already released several versions of his signature shoe, starred in a reality show chronicling the daily lives of his family and dropped a rap single. It has been, by any measure, a busy summer for the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft and the NBA Summer League MVP. “I look at it pretty simply,” Ball said Mond...

GREEN BAY, Wisc. >> Sean McVay’s focus on Sept. 10 almost has been almost obsessive. The Rams’ coach has seemed like an eager child counting down to the days to his birthday. It’s almost here. Much to McVay’s excitement, the preseason ended Thursday night with a 24-10 loss to Green Bay at Lambeau Field, a game filled with backup players, many of whom were fighting for roster spots. McVay’s w...

SANTA CLARA >> The ugly started early. On the sixth play of the Chargers’ preseason finale, Cardale Jones zipped a pass to tight end Sean Culkin. It was a solid choice: The undrafted rookie out of Missouri had been reliable this month, catching six of his eight targets for 56 yards. The ninth? It bounced off his fingers, and into the hands of 49ers coerback Asa Jackson. The Chargers tued...

SANTA CLARA >> Austin Ekeler entered Levi’s Stadium with just seven professional carries to his name. If this was his last appearance in a Chargers uniform, he made it count. After seeing little action in his first three preseason games, the undrafted rookie made his case for a spot on the regular-season roster on Thursday. In their 23-13 finale loss to the 49ers, the Chargers fed Ekeler the...

Tampering is an NBA problem, no doubt. Particularly when the tamperers and tamperees are one and the same. Paul George made it known, through the many media outlets and “industry sources” at his and his agent’s disposal, that he wanted out of Indiana and into Staples Center. His contract doesn’t end until next year. So now the NBA is investigating the Lakers for getting too public about George. This has become the definition of tampering, apparently. You might as well punish an ostrich for buryi...

LOS ANGELES >> USC coach Clay Helton on Saturday expressed no conces about his team’s position in any preseason polls. “As I’ve continuously told our team, it’s about worrying about this first game and starting fast,” Helton said. “It’s not about where you start, it’s about where you finish.” He remains closely familiar with the old axiom. In 2015, the Trojans began the season ranked eighth in the Associated Press preseason poll. Then came disarray. Helton, the offensive coordinator, was p...

THOUSAND OAKS >> Yes, it’s just preseason. Before that, it was just OTAs. Before that, it was just the Big Sky Conference. At every tu, Cooper Kupp has faced doubters, and tued them around. The stakes have reached their apex. Kupp, a former small-school standout at Easte Washington, now is preparing for his NFL regular-season debut, and the Rams’ third-round draft pick seems ready, as always. In two preseason games, Kupp has eight catches for 105 yards and one touchdown. Also, seven of Kup...

CARSON >> The Chargers are lucky to have Philip Rivers, as durable as any player in the NFL. The 35-year-old has yet to miss a regular-season game since becoming the team’s starting quarterback more than a decade ago. He enters his 12th season having started 176 consecutive contests — a franchise record, and the fourth-longest streak by any passer in league history. So, what might happen to the Chargers if — knock on wood — he finally gets injured? Sunday offered a peek at a bleak possibil...

CARSON >> Around him, so much was still unfamiliar. Over the years, these debuts blurred together, each preseason the same dance as the one before, but as Philip Rivers peered out from under center at the start of his 14th year as a Chargers quarterback, this scene was jarringly new. Until Sun...

CARSON >> The Chargers lost their preseason opener. They may have also lost their starting middle linebacker. A 48-17 loss to the Seahawks isn’t an ideal way to open their first year at StubHub Center, but the line between exhibition performances and playoff berths rarely runs a direct course....

Ranking the top 10 sports events Aug. 7-13 you won’t want to miss: NO. 1: NFL EXHIBITIONS: CHARGERS vs. SEAHAWKS Details/TV: At StubHub Center, Sunday, 5 p.m., Ch. 7 RAMS vs. COWBOYS Details/TV: At the Coliseum, Saturday, 6 p.m., Ch. 2 Well, we got a bit of a look at the two local teams. And the two...

USC is ranked fourth in the preseason coaches poll, its highest ranking in the national poll in five years. Alabama, last season’s national runner-up, is ranked first, followed by Ohio State and Florida State. Defending College Football Playoff champion Clemson was fifth. The poll was released Thurs...

Throughout the touament portion of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, most of the Lakers success could be traced back to Lonzo Ball. Ball was named summer league Most Valuable Player. After he experienced tightness in his right calf in the Lakers semifinal victory a day earlier, Ball was held out...

The gesture usually serves just a photo opportunity. Otherwise the moment becomes forgettable perhaps except for the player holding his uniform. When Lakers rookie forward Kyle Kuzma displayed his No. 0 jersey at his introductory press conference as the team’s No. 27 draft pick on June 29, however, ...

The Lakers had a healthy amount of dialogue both with and about veteran guard Rajon Rondo, and whether he would be a good fit for their young roster. Ultimately, the Lakers did not have to decide the varying variables about such a possible partnership. Rondo agreed to a one-year deal with the New Or...

CARSON >> The love and admiration for Manchester United ran throughout StubHub Center Saturday. The majority of the 25,667 in attendance came dressed in the shirt of their favorite Manchester United player, both past and present, and erupted in cheers at every run and move by players like Paul...

LAS VEGAS — Another day, another pair of sneakers … and another win. For the second night in a row, Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball took the court in something other than his signature shoes then led the team to a 94-83 victory over the second-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in an NBA Summer League touament s...

Las Vegas Summer League did not just provide a platform for Lonzo Ball to show early retus on his NBA potential. It also gave Alex Caruso a setting to convince the Lakers to keep him. The Lakers and Caruso agreed to a two-year deal on a two-way contract, a new mechanism that allows NBA teams and t...

The Lakers have remained economical throughout free agency, choosing less grandiose moves designed to strengthen their foundation instead of chasing the kind of transactions that could compromise long-term investments or precious salary-cap space for next summer. After agreeing to a one-year, $18 mi...