EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- When a new player joins the Los Angeles Lakers, it's almost custom to ask whether he's heard from the franchise's longtime star Kobe Bryant and what -- if any -- advice, wisdom or expectations the veteran guard shared.
That question was posed Wednesday to forward Brandon Bass, guard Lou Williams and center Roy Hibbert, all of whom the Lakers acquired this offseason, the first two through free agency and the last through a trade with the Indiana Pacers.
And all three players, who were introduced at the team's practice facility, offered the same answer: silence.
They looked at one another; Hibbert shook his head "no," and they sat there. Bass smiled.
Bryant, who turns 37 next month, is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him a league-high $25 million next season.
The five-time champion and NBA's third all-time leading scorer has suffered season-ending injuries in each of the past three seasons, including a shoulder injury in January that he still is rehabbing.