Sports - Kobe says he'll play for U.S. in 2012 if wanted

Kobe Bryant, aka The Black Mamba, was speaking with Coach K on his Sirius satellite radio show on tuesday when he was asked about the Olympics in London 2012. Kobe had this to say:

"You guys want me there, I am there and I'm ready to defend," Bryant said. "And then when you guys need me to put some points on the board, I'll do that, too."

As we all know, It was Coach K who told Kobe during the Gold medal game against Spain in Beijing 2008 to release the 'Black Mamba' and that is exactly what Kobe did. With a little over 8 minutes remaining, Kobe finally unleashed the killer instincts within and helped the United States secure Gold. His four-point play really shut the crowd up.

Im glad Kobe will reprise his role in London 2012. We need his veteran presence to guide the young asses such as LeBron, D-Wade and Carmelo. We also need his defensive tenacity to help lock down our opponents.