ORLANDO—
With a throng of reporters waiting for nearly an hour on the expected arrival of NBA All-Star guard Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers star was a no-show at the league's media availability at the Hilton Orlando on Friday afternoon.
A Lakers spokesperson said Bryant was ill and would not be attending, but that information was not relayed to the press until the 30-minute session was supposed to have concluded. The media was informed of the news and the crowd dispersed to talk to other players at the event.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank later confirmed that Bryant was sick and unable to attend.
Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul was seated at the table adjacent where Bryant was suppposed to hold his press interviews, and as the fellow all-star walked past the horde of reporters he quipped, "That must be Kobe's table right there."
But of course Bryant, a 14-time all-star who was the MVP of the event last year at L.A.'s Staples Center, never arrived. The NBA All-Star Game is Sunday night at 7 at Orlando's Amway Center.
