Mitch Kupchack

(Newser) - The Los Angeles Lakers hired Mike D'Antoni (formerly of the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks) as their new head coach last night, passing over longtime on-again off-again coach Phil Jackson. D'Antoni signed a three-year, $12 million deal around 11:30 last night. Jackson was ready to take...

(Newser) - A pinkie injury Kobe Bryant sustained earlier in the month has taken a turn for the worse, the LA Times reports. Though Bryant's pinkie was initially listed as dislocated, following further aggravation during Wednesday's victory over Minnesota, the digit now has a torn ligament and an avulsion fracture. Bryant, for...

(Newser) - An amateur video surfaced today in which Lakers franchise player Kobe Bryant slammed GM Mitch Kupchak and the team's young center, Andrew Bynum, in a profanity-ridden tirade. The video had been filmed in a parking lot without Bryant's knowledge, and its anonymous makers plan to offer viewings online after the...