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Come Fan with UsTuesday, August 4, 2026

Mike Brown fired: Kobe Bryant unsure of Lakers’ direction

What do you do when the leader of your team is fired after not meeting expectations in the first five games of the season? Address it in a Facebook status, duh.

Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

Kobe Bryant took to Facebook to address the firing of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown Friday, saying that he's "not sure what direction we are heading in next."

Here’s Bryant’s full statement from his Facebook page:

"Tough day. I've seen coaches as well as friends come and go. No matter how many years I've been playing, it's still hard to deal with. I had a good relationship with Mike and I will continue to have one. I wish him and his family nothing but the best. I spoke with him today and thanked him for all of his hard work and sacrifice.

As a team, we must focus our energy on tonight's game. We must block out the weight of today's news and simply do our jobs to the best of our ability.

I'm not sure what direction we are heading in next. All I can do is focus on the here and now. Mamba out"

Bryant is not alone when he shares that he's unclear where the Lakers go from here. Bernie Bickerstaff is currently set to handle the interim duties for the Lakers starting with Friday night's game against the Golden State Warriors. Beyond that though, everything is a mystery.

Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that he believes former Suns and Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni is a "prominent name" in the replacement search but as our own Paul Flannery points out, D'Antoni still is unable to walk from his recent knee surgery.

Brown didn’t even get to work a full 82-game season as coach of the Lakers, since his first year in Los Angeles was shortened due to the labor dispute. With the 1-4 start in 2012, Brown finishes his Laker coaching career with a 42-29 record after leading Los Angeles to the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference last season.

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