Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant will get up close and personal with late night host and LA fan Jimmy Kimmel later this summer for a special event that will be a one-night only interview at Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live.
According to ESPN.com, Bryant will join Kimmel on August 15 for the event that starts at 8 PM and tickets will go on sale for it this week and all the proceeds will go to the Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Foundation and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Sports Spectacular. The event is called "Kobe Up Close," and will be for one-night-only as fans get to see Kimmel speak to the Lakers super star and future Hall of Fame player. The two are expected to talk about basketball, Bryant's championships, his place in history, his personal life and more.
The Lakers went 45-37 this season and ranked seventh in the West and after Bryant was lost to a season ending injury, the team fell apart and they were swept out of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs, who made it to the finals and are 2-2 with the Miami Heat. The Lakers want to bring back Dwight Howard and if it were up to Bryant, Howard and Pau Gasol will be back in gold and purple next season.
The team has moves to make as it tries to get younger and they would like to sign Howard to a long-term deal, but it appears that he will leave. Howard will be listening to a number of teams when free agency hits, including the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets, Warriors and others. Reports came out that he wants to team up with Chris Paul in Atlanta, but it remains to be seen if he will return to his home city.
The Lakers are entering a tough stretch in their recent franchise history and depending on how things go, it could be a tough couple of years with the Lakers as Bryant finishes his career. Brant has been everything positive for Howard and he has supported him as the team heads towards free agency and the star said that he hopes to have the last word with Howard.
"I'm excited to sit down with Jimmy," Bryant said in a statement. "And talk about what my fans have been wanting to hear and raise money to help eliminate homelessness in L.A."