30-year old shooting guard Kobe Bryant has decided not to opt out of his last two years of his contract with the Lakers. Bryant played in 82 games (all starts) for the Lakers last season and he averaged 26.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Bryant led the Lakers to their 4th ring last season with him on the team and he didn’t even need Shaq around to pull it off. Kobe has now played in 948 games (800 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 36.4 minutes, 25.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Look for Kobe to make another run at the MVP Award in the NBA again during the 2009-2010 season.