Kobe Bryant forms foundation to aid homeless youth
Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—Los Angeles Lakers all-star guard Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa today announced the formation of the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of youths and families in need.
The foundation will initially focus on youth homeless in Los Angeles, the Bryants said at a news conference at My Friend’s Place, a drop-in center for homeless youth in Hollywood.
“On my way to games, I noticed children and families living on the streets blocks away from where I play and it didn’t sit well with me,” Kobe Bryant said. “I wanted to help make a difference in homelessness and what better place to start than in my own back yard.”
The foundation will support organizations and programs that help create permanent housing and provide resources for education and career development.
One organization the foundation will be working with to support construction of permanent housing is the Santa Monica-based nonprofit group Step Up on Second.
The foundation will also create and distribute a public service announcement campaign intended to educate the public about youth homelessness.
“There are approximately 9,500 homeless youth under the age of 24 living on the streets of Los Angeles each year. Regardless of what brought these youths to the streets, they deserve the opportunity to reach their potential,” said Heather Carmichael, the executive director of My Friend’s Place.
The NBA lockout was finally resolved two weeks ago, ending our “basketball jones” depression.
Even though college basketball has been “poppin’,” we still need our daily dose of funks, dunks, shakes and bakes that comes with professional basketball. So now the NBA is back and commissioner David Stern hasn’t cut us any slack, as the talent of the league has sought to test their value in the market before the 66-game season starts.
According to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, we are now experiencing a period when worst-case housing needs are at an all-time high.
While some communities are beginning to see reductions in chronic homelessness, in many others family homelessness is exploding and families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.—Bill Macdonald was named today as the Los Angeles Lakers television play-by-play announcer and John Ireland as their radio play-by-play announcer.
Macdonald replaces Joel Meyers, who had been with the Lakers for eight seasons, including the past six as the television play-by-play announcer.
Ireland replaces Spero Dedes, the Lakers radio play-by-play announcer for the past six seasons.
I try to be objective in my commentary. OK, I’m lying. I’m very subjective in my commentary.
That’s what editorialists do, they editorialize. There’s only one way to see it—their way.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—In a game decried by TV commentators as an embarrassment to NBA basketball, to the Los Angeles Lakers and to coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers were blown out of the Western Conference semifinals by the Dallas Mavericks, 122-86.
Lakers center Andrew Bynum and forward Lamar Odom were ejected for deliberate fouls in the fourth quarter of the game at Dallas' American Airlines Center. Bynum bludgeoned Mavericks guard J.J. Barea with his elbow, then quickly stripped off his jersey at midcourt as he headed to the locker room.
