Lakers plan to retire Bryant’s jersey numbers

(The Sports Xchange) – The Los Angeles Lakers plan to retire the jersey numbers of Kobe Bryant on Dec. 18 prior to the game against the Golden State Warriors.

The team will retire both of Bryant’s numbers. Bryant wore both No. 8 and No. 24 during his 20 seasons with the Lakers.

Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won five NBA titles with the Lakers, retired following the 2015-16 campaign. He wore No. 8 for his first 10 seasons before switching to No. 24.

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Former New York Knicks forward Charles Oakley filed a civil suit related to the February incident with security at Madison Square Garden, ESPN reported.

Oakley’s civil suit names Knicks owner James Dolan, Madison Square Garden Company and MSG Sports & Entertainment and includes several causes of action, including defamation, libel and slander.

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The Brooklyn Nets added some toughness to the frontcourt by signing veteran center Tyler Zeller to a multi-year contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Zeller, 27, spent the past three seasons with the Boston Celtics and averaged 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 2016-17. In five seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Celtics, Zeller is averaging 7.0 points on 49.9 percent shooting and 4.4 rebounds.

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The Detroit Pistons signed guard Dwight Buycks to a two-way contract.

Buycks spent the past two seasons with the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association, and averaged over 25 points in each campaign. The Marquette product averaged 4.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 20 career NBA games with the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers.