Kobe on opting out of contract: ‘I’m not going anywhere’

Bryant says he’ll stay with Lakers

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Kobe Bryant says he plans to stay with the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers even if he opts out of his contract this summer.

Bryant met with coach Phil Jackson and general manager Mitch Kupchak for an individual exit interview Friday.

The finals MVP can terminate the last two years of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He’s spent his entire 13-year career with the Lakers, winning four NBA championships.

Bryant told reporters, “I know I ain’t going nowhere, so it’s just a waste of our breaths talking about it.”