HOUSTON >> The drills looked so simple and repetitive as one Hall of Famer eagerly taught a future candidate endless post moves. Former Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon hosted Kobe Bryant for an offseason workout in 2009 that featured what the Lakers’ star described as “the smallest details of things....

It was more than just the gloomy, gray sky and the rainy weather that made for an ugly UCLA spring practice Saturday. Head coach Jim Mora relies on a “move the ball” approach to team periods, which means scrimmages are unscripted. It’s all about reacting to play calls, substitutions and situations a...

ANAHEIM >> The Angels infield has been shifting so often this season, it’s been impossible not to notice the team’s increased emphasis on strategically defending each batter. What has been difficult to detect is that the shifts are adjusting not just for every batter, but in some cases every pitch. ...

NEW ORLEANS >> The endless cheering for Kobe Bryant came to a sudden halt for one simple reason. After playing the first 12 minutes, Bryant sat out the entire second quarter for rest purposes in the Lakers’ 110-102 loss to Friday at Smoothie King Center. Lakers rookie guard D’Angelo Russell could no...

ANAHEIM >> Matt Shoemaker hasn’t made any headway in 2016 proving 2014 wasn’t a fluke. Two years removed from his AL Rookie of the Year ru er-up finish, the Angels’ pitcher was pummelled in his first start of the season, a 7-3 loss to the Texas Rangers Friday night. Not good news for an Angels rotat...

Buddy Hield of Oklahoma and Brea a Stewart of four-time national champion Co ecticut won the John R. Wooden Award as national college basketball players of the year Friday night. Hield also claimed the Jerry West shooting guard of the year award, having led Division I with 147 3-pointers made. He fi...

SALT LAKE CITY >> Resting usual starters Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and J.J. Redick, the Los Angeles Clippers came up with enough big plays to push aside the Utah Jazz. Jamal Crawford made a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left and finished with 30 points in the Clippers’ 102-99 overtime v...

Video: Lakewood vs. LB Wilson Baseball The Lakewood Lancers bat through the lineup in a five-run first i ing and then went into cruise control behind a strong performance from pitcher Matt Fields, going on to win 10-1 against the Wilson Bruins. Advertisement About the Author JJ Fiddler is a sportswr...

LONG BEACH >> Rarely does a Blair Field battle between two of the Moore League’s best teams end in as lopsided a final score as Friday night’s tilt between Lakewood and Wilson. But the Lancers batted through the lineup in a five-run first i ing and then went into cruise control behind a strong perfo...

If not for Mother Nature, Santa Anita could be looking at an on-track crowd of 40,000-plus today for the 79th ru ing of the $1 million Grade I Santa Anita Derby, the West Coast’s final major prep for the Kentucky Derby on May 7. Mor Spirit, Danzing Candy, Exaggerator and six outsiders make up an int...

The noise level reached fever pitch. Some fans gave a standing ovation. Of course, those fans wearing Kobe Bryant’s No. 24 jersey also yelled out his name. All because Bryant went up to the scorer’s table to check in midway through the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ 110-102 loss to the New Orleans Pe...

LONG BEACH >> The Pete Archer Aquatics Center at Wilson High School was electric for one of the most intense dual swim meets of the year between Wilson and Poly. The Wilson boys have won 43 consecutive Moore League championships, and after the meet against their rivals on Friday night, they put them...

Chris Devenski, a 2009 Gahr High graduate, got the news every minor league baseball player waits for Thursday when he was called up to the Houston Astros. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound 25-year-old right-handed pitcher hasn’t made an appearance in the majors yet, but it shouldn’t be long. He’s expected to ...

There’s a promo airing for the new Andrew Dice Clay horribly scented TV series, the lapsed comedian and his dim-witted sidekick in a Las Vegas restaurant digging into a meal. “How much do you think Kobe Bryant gets for every one of these Kobe steaks?” the lesser of two evils chirps to the Dice Man. ...

Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick broke his own franchise record with his 40th victory of the season Thursday, a grinding 2-1 win over the Ducks. He can’t catch league leader Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals, who needs one to tie the NHL record of 48 wins in a season. Quick said he would be pu...

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s football confederation has told Spanish club Barcelona that it wants to have star striker Neymar available for both the Copa America Centenario in June and the Rio Olympics in August. If Neymar were to play with Brazil at the Copa America, local soccer fans would be able to...

A fu y thing may or may not happen to the Warriors, who are trying to break the Bulls’ record of 72 wins on their way to back-to-back titles, but could wind up with the worst of both worlds, instead: 1) Settling for tying the record, or missing it altogether. 2) Wearing themselves out in the process...

TAMPA, Fla. — When Rand Pecknold arrived at tiny Qui ipiac 22 years ago, he hardly envisioned the Bobcats becoming a staple in the NCAA tou ament and competing for national hockey championships. “That wasn’t even close to my thought process in year one,” the coach recalled, looking ahead to the Froz...

RIO DE JANEIRO — Rio de Janeiro’s renovated port area should be hopping — or “hooping” — during the Olympics. The United States men’s and women’s basketball teams will be staying on a cruise ship in the port. A second and much larger liner will be anchored alongside during the games and provide lodg...

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles City Council today renamed a street leading to Dodger Stadium after Vin Scully, whose 67 years as the Dodgers play- by-play man concludes at the end of this season. The council’s vote finalizes a process started in January to rename Elysian Park Avenue between Sunset Bo...