Kobe Bryant says he's 'extremely loyal' to Lakers, shoots down trade talk

Don't expect Kobe Bryant to demand a trade away from the Los Angeles Lakers any time soon. The 36-year-old shooting guard sat down with Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports and put any talk of him requesting a trade while the Lakers struggle to rest. Bryant said he "bleeds purple and gold" and discussed the importance of sticking with the the franchise through not only success, but failure:

"I hear the chatter of Kobe should ask out and he should go and play for a contender in this latter stage of his career," Bryant told Yahoo Sports. "But that's not what I do. I'm extremely loyal to the Lakers.

"I believe in fighting through the tough times as well as enjoying the good times. It's my responsibility to get us to be the best that we can be. It's important that we approach that on a day-to-day basis.

Bryant coming out firing after missing most of the '13-14 season, and back-to-back injuries, has been the lone bright spot for a Lakers team that's played more games than any other team in the NBA but is still one of the four remaining win-less teams. He's put on a show while the offense has been stagnant and disorganized.

Trade "chatter" regarding Kobe stems from an article (Insider) published by ESPN's Chad Ford that lists a handful of teams that could hypothetically be interested in trading for Bryant this season. Teams include the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets. There doesn't appear to be any momentum to the article, and it was presented as a thought, not a report.

Kobe has averaged 24.8 points per game through the Lakers' first four games over a five-night span, showing his wide-range of talents on offense. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, it hasn't amounted to a win yet.