D'Angelo Russell has been assigned the locker next to Kobe Bryant in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“I don’t know how much longer he’s going to be around,” said Russell, who will first practice with Bryant on Tuesday in Honolulu. “So to have the opportunity to pick his brain a little bit every day, I don’t have to make it weird by walking to his locker. I’ll just look to my right and there he is.”

“He has a good head on his shoulders,” Bryant said of Russell. “My responsibility is going to help him just not to lose sight of what’s most important, which is the game.”

Russell was asked about his first assist to Bryant.

"He told me he likes to shoot the ball so If I get it to him, it’s his job to finish it,” said Russell.

Kobe Bryant has no intention of playing for any other NBA team besides the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bryant responded to comments from Phil Jackson suggesting he could continue his playing career but not with the Lakers.

"I don't think it's his last year," Jackson said. "Sounds like it might be his last year as a Laker."

Bryant is entering his 20th season with the Lakers, which is also the final season of his current contract.

"A lot of players want to go to different teams or contend to win championships," Bryant told Yahoo Sports at the conclusion of the Lakers' media day on Monday. "I'm a Laker, man. I'm a Laker for better or worse."

Bryant remains undecided on his plans for 16-17.

"I'm a Laker, man. How many times do I have to say that?" Bryant said "Dude, I bleed purple and gold."

Bryant missed 47 games last season, most because of a right rotator cuff injury that required surgery. 

James Worthy has been hired by the team to work with the coaching staff.

In his position, Worthy will work with head coach Byron Scott and his staff, focusing his attention on working with the Lakers big men. He will accompany the team to Hawaii for training camp and will continue to work with Lakers players throughout the season.

Worthy will also continue his role on Time Warner Cable SportsNet as an analyst for the network’s Lakers coverage. 

“James was one of the best forwards to ever play the game,” said Kupchak. “We feel he will be a valuable addition to the coaching staff and will do an excellent job teaching our group of big men. We are pleased and fortunate to welcome him back to the organization.”

The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns attempted to hire Steve Nash in a similar position in which he joined the Golden State Warriors following his acceptance of their offer.

Nash finished his career with the Lakers and spent the majority of his career with the Suns.

Nash joined the Warriors as a player development consultant.

Phil Jackson believes Kobe Bryant may extend his career beyond the current season, which is his last under contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“I don’t think it’s his last year,” Jackson said. “It sounds like it may be his last year as a Laker.”

Jackson coached Bryant for 11 seasons.

“One of the things about great players -- there’s a part of me that kind of wishes maybe Michael Jordan had said goodbye to basketball after that shot in Utah. But you see the game and the speed of the game becomes something that you’re used to, and you can handle as the activity, speed, how many things are coming at you at once,” Jackson said. “But your body fails you. That’s the denominator there. It’s gotta be comeuppance from God or from age.

“So with Kobe, he’s had, what? Two seasons that have been aborted because of injuries. I think he’s going to be really better than people think, and I think there will still be a future for him as he goes through this season into next year, where people are going to ask, ‘Do you still want to play basketball?’ So we’ll see how it goes.”

Metta World Peace has agreed to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.

World Peace has been working out with the Lakers for several weeks.

World Peace played in China and Italy last season.

Julius Randle credits Kobe Bryant for helping him get through his rehab from a fractured leg.

Bryant advised Randle to remain patient during his rehab. Randle was injured on opening night after being the Los Angeles Lakers' lottery pick in 2014.

"The biggest person to help get me through this was Kobe – by far," Randle said.

"I hope we can give him a reason to keep playing," Randle said. "I want to keep learning from him. Kobe's going to challenge you and push you. If you have a certain fire, a love for the game, that doesn't bother you. He may not always say something to piss you off, but he maybe just says something that makes you think."

The Los Angeles Lakers are in support of keeping the current revenue sharing system despite their league-leading outlay.

A significant portion of their revenue is shared amongst the other teams.

The Lakers aren't seeking substantial changes in the current system "because it's working," according to a league source. 

The biggest decision facing Byron Scott with Kobe Bryant this season is his playing time.

"I think the biggest decision is playing time, trying to make that as limited as possible and also back-to-back games," said Scott. "That’s something we have to talk about. Other than that, there really is no other decision to make. He wants to play, and he wants to go out the way he wants to go out -- if this is indeed his final year. He and I have talked a number of times on the phone, we’ve talked about playing time, we’ve talked about back-to-back, we’re going to probably sit down as we get closer to training camp or as we get in training camp and even talk more about it. Because the one thing I want, if this is his last year, I want him to go out standing. I don’t want him to go out hurt. I want to make sure I do everything in my power to make sure we stick to the game plan, as far as his minutes and as far as back-to-back games."

Kobe Bryant has been medically cleared for all basketball activities.

Bryant is recovering from a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder.

Bryant is in the final season of his current contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Each of the past three seasons have ended with injury for Bryant.