Filed Under » Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant, the aging, creaky, washed-up, ex-star of the Los Angeles Lakers, continued to have maybe not his best season of his 16-year NBA career Wednesday night, as his 40 points in a win over the Utah Jazz kept his scoring average barely above 30 points per game.

"I've pretty much seen Kobe from afar my whole career," said new Lakers coach Mike Brown. "And he's just a shell of what he used to be, in my opinion. I mean, remember a few years ago when he had 81 points in a game? He only had 48 the other night. Forty-eight! It was sad to watch. Like seeing Willie Mays drop fly balls in the outfield for the Mets."

Former Lakers teammate Lamar Odom was dealt to the Mavericks before the start of the season and says it was a blessing.

"Kobe is my friend. We've battled together for championships," said Odom. "But I don't have the courage to be by him every day, watching him waste away. I just don't. It would be too hard to stomach."

Bryant leads the NBA in scoring at 30.3 points per game, but it's only the third-highest scoring average in his career.

"Numbers can be misleading," said Shaquille O'Neal, Bryant's longtime Lakers teammate. "His performances now are like when a dead body seizes a few times before the final light goes out. Kobe is probably the worst best player in the NBA ever."

The NBA announced plans today for its first Winter Classic, featuring an outdoor game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves on January 29th in frigid Minneapolis.

"Basketball has a great heritage of playing outdoors in the winter," said NBA commissioner David Stern. "I remember as a young boy going outside to shoot baskets, quickly freezing and being like: 'Oh, shit, this was a bad idea. I'm going back inside.' This game will celebrate that."

Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant says he is excited to play in the first NBA Winter Classic.

"I grew up in Pennsylvania. We have some pretty harsh winters there," he said. "I remember going outside to shoot for a few minutes, freezing and then going back inside to play video games for the rest of the day. My love of playing winter basketball for a few minutes helped me beat Contra on Nintendo, because I'd just stay inside all day doing nothing. And I beat it without the cheat code! I can't wait to see what video games they have for us in Minnesota."