Lakers Media Day 2015: Top Interviews, Photos, Video and Reaction

The Los Angeles Lakers' media day took place Monday at the Toyota Sports Center ahead of a 2015-16 season with a squad that sports a retooled roster and resultant uncertainty—but also plenty of excitement.

Rookie point guard D'Angelo Russell was the No. 2 overall pick in the most recent NBA draft. Russell joins a perimeter rotation featuring Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, another promising youngster in 23-year-old Jordan Clarkson and reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams.  

As for the top interviews of the day, Bryant is the logical individual to start with as the face of the historic franchise.    



The 37-year-old is as ready as ever to roll as he juggles a mentoring role with his own contributions after a couple of injury-plagued years, as he stated on the Time Warner Cable SportsNet telecast:

The last few seasons, you got to a point during the season where you're showing up to the arena and the games mean nothing. That's a horrible feeling to have. So I'm hellbent on making sure we don't have a season like that. You want to make sure that you're playing late in the season for games that actually mean something—for games that have playoff implications.

When asked about his potential minutes restriction, Bryant expressed a willingness to play as little or as often as it takes for the team to thrive.

"I've worked extremely hard this summer to be able to play at a high level, regardless of whether it's 30 [minutes] or if it's 48, I'm prepared to do whatever is necessary, and that's my job to do so," said Bryant.

TWC SportsNet provided video of Bryant showing off his skills ahead of his 20th NBA season:



Bryant is always a draw because of his all-time great status and outspoken nature. The Black Mamba is nearing the end of his career, which only adds to the anticipation. But the numerous new additions made Lakers media...

About the Author