The Los Angeles Lakers will honor Shaquille O'Neal with a statue outside of Staples Center during the 16-17 season.

"We look forward to having Shaq join the other legends who have been honored with statues at STAPLES Center," Jeanie Buss, Lakers president and co-owner, said in a statement. "He is a giant not only in size, but also in stature and in what he accomplished as a Laker. Shaq literally broke the ground for the site, and was hugely responsible for not only getting STAPLES Center built, but for making it one of the most successful and famous arenas in the world. It's an honor that is well deserved."

O'Neal played eight seasons for the Lakers (1996-2004), teaming with Kobe Bryant to win the championship in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

The Lakers retired O'Neal's jersey in April 2013, and his statue will join those of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Chick Hearn, Wayne Gretzky and Oscar De La Hoya outside Staples Center, which opened in 1999.

D'Angelo Russell was benched by Byron Scott late in the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' loss to the Dallas Mavericks, apparently for his shot selection.

"I saw the last couple minutes that he was in that he was really trying to take over the game, and that's not him yet," Scott said. "I want the ball to move a little bit. I thought it stuck with him. He tried to make the big shots and things like that. I understand that, but to me, that's not him right now."

In general, Scott said of Russell, "He's been more aggressive to score. I think sometimes he's taking what they're giving him, and I think there's other times where I think he's kind of forcing the issue. He has to find a happy medium. He's learning."

Russell finished the game with 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting.

"We had four, five playmaking players out there," Russell said. "I feel like everybody was trying to [take over]. They're a veteran team. They rarely mess up. So when you catch them slipping a little bit, you've got to take advantage of it."

"I love the fact that he has confidence," Scott said. "When it gets to the point where it's cockiness, then we've got a problem."

Kobe Bryant continues to be an outspoken critic of how AAU basketball has impacted the modern game.

"I hate it because it doesn't teach our players how to play the right way, how to think the game, how to play in combinations of threes," said Bryant.

"I think everything is a reward system. I think the coaches who are teaching the game are getting rewarded in one fashion or another. It's just a showcase. I think it's absolutely horrible for the game."

Bryant believes younger players lack certain fundamentals.

"Yeah, but I think that is just by luck in the generation that I grew up in," he said. "My generation is when AAU basketball really started becoming s---. I got lucky because I grew up in Europe and everything there was still fundamental, so I learned all the basics."

Kobe Bryant scored just five points on the 10th year anniversary of scoring 81 in 2006 against the Toronto Raptors.

Bryant went 2-for-9 in 27 minutes in the Los Angeles Lakers' 108-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Bryant was asked if he believes another player could match or surpass his 81-point game.

"I think so," he said. "It's just a matter of -- you have to believe that it's possible. You've got to be in tip-top shape to be able to do it, too. It takes a lot of energy and the ability to carry that energy for the duration of the game."

The Lakers featured the 2006 game on the ticket stub and commemorative t-shirts sold out by halftime.

Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard are the five starters for the Western Conference in the 2016 NBA All-Star Game.

Leonard beat out Zaza Pachulia and Draymond Green for the final frontcourt spot. Pachulia overtook Green in the voting before the final return.

LeBron James, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Kyle Lowry are the Eastern Conference starters.

Western Conference
Frontcourt
1. Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,891,614
2. Kevin Durant (OKC) 980,787
3. Kawhi Leonard (SA) 782,339
4. Zaza Pachulia (Dal) 768,112
5. Draymond Green (GS) 726,616
6. Blake Griffin (LAC) 651,860
7. Enes Kanter (OKC) 534,499
8. Tim Duncan (SA) 431,087
9. Anthony Davis (NO) 400,688
10. DeMarcus Cousins (Sac) 364,270
11. DeAndre Jordan (LAC) 269,427
12. LaMarcus Aldridge (SA) 268,003
13. Dwight Howard (Hou) 219,761
14. Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 173,317
15. Harrison Barnes (GS) 155,289

Guards
1. Stephen Curry (GS) 1,604,325
2. Russell Westbrook (OKC) 772,009
3. Chris Paul (LAC) 624,334
4. Klay Thompson (GS) 555,513
5. James Harden (Hou) 430,777
6. Manu Ginobili (SA) 226,289
7. Rajon Rondo (Sac) 200,518
8. Tony Parker (SA) 195,472
9. Andre Iguodala (GS) 181,142
10. Damian Lillard (Por) 158,360

Eastern Conference
Frontcourt
1. LeBron James (Cle) 1,089,206
2. Paul George (Ind) 711,595
3. Carmelo Anthony (NY) 567,348
4. Pau Gasol (Chi) 566,988
5. Andre Drummond (Det) 515,296
6. Kristaps Porzingis (NY) 473,579
7. Chris Bosh (Mia) 351,420
8. Kevin Love (Cle) 332,685
9. Hassan Whiteside (Mia) 301,362
10. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Mil) 84,617
11. Jonas Valanciunas (Tor) 73,079
12. Joakim Noah (Chi) 48,509
13. DeMarre Carroll (Tor) 46,044
14. Marcin Gortat (Was) 43,496
15. Paul Millsap (Atl) 41,654

Guards
1. Dwyane Wade (Mia) 941,466
2. Kyle Lowry (Tor) 646,441
3. Kyrie Irving (Cle) 580,651
4. Jimmy Butler (Chi) 564,637
5. DeMar DeRozan (Tor) 444,868
6. John Wall (Was) 368,686
7. Derrick Rose (Chi) 302,389
8. Jeremy Lin (Cha) 195,920
9. Isaiah Thomas (Bos) 153,642
10. Reggie Jackson (Det) 76,688

LeBron James has the most earning power of current NBA players with $71 million in combined player contract salary and endorsements.

James earns $23 million from the Cleveland Cavaliers, which is the third highest salary in the NBA. James can opt out of his contract again in 2016 to sign a supermax under the rising salary cap.

James makes $48 million off the court in endorsements. His new Nike deal will be determined by shoe sales going forward, but is expect to go well beyond $500 million. James’ career earnings are approaching $600 million, including endorsements.

Kevin Durant ranks second with earnings of $56.2 million, including $36 million from sponsors.

1. LeBron James: $71 million
2. Kevin Durant: $56.2 million
3. Kobe Bryant: $50 million
4. Derrick Rose: $34.1 million
5. James Harden: $32.8 million
6. Dwyane Wade: $32 million
7. Carmelo Anthony: $30.9 million
8. Chris Paul: $30 million
9. Dwight Howard: $27.4 million
10. Blake Griffin: $26.9 million

Kobe Bryant has ruled himself out of consideration for the 2016 Olympics.

Bryant will retire this summer after his 20th NBA season.

"I think as beautiful as it would be to play for our country, when I say my last game is going to be my last game, I'm going to retire, then that's it," Bryant said. "It's not like I'm going to walk off the stage and then [say], 'But I'm going to come right back for a minute. Hold on one second.' You know what I mean? I think it's pretty sweet to have the final game be in a Laker uniform and support the players from afar."

Bryant played for the United States in 2008 and 2012 in the Olympics.

Kobe Bryant is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Golden State Warriors due to an Achilles injury.

Gary Vitti has recommended the Los Angeles Lakers shut down Bryant for one to two weeks to rest the injury.

Bryant said his Achilles was feeling better on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Lakers are prepared to offer DeMar DeRozan a max contract in the offseason starting at $25 million per season.

DeRozan can decline his player option with the Toronto Raptors to become a free agent.

Replacing DeRozan would be difficult for the Raptors but there is a succession plan with Terrence Ross at shooting guard.

Masai Ujiri re-signed every core player when he was general manager of the Denver Nuggets and re-signing DeRozan at the max would become its own litmus test.

Mitch Kupchak initiated trade calls a few weeks ago looking for ways to improve the Los Angeles Lakers.