Everyone moved out of Julius Randle’s way, as the Lakers forward sprinted his way up the court eager to show something he could not for eleven painful months.

The Lakers were nearing the end of a 30-minute full-court scrimmage on Wednesday here at Stan Sheriff Center when a fast-break opportunity emerged. Before the defense had any time to set up, Randle cut into the lane. His teammate, Lou Williams, made eye contact. Then, Williams lofted up an alley-oop that Randle threw down with force.

This only marked the second day of the Lakers’ training camp. But those days have meant everything to Randle, who played only 14 minutes in his NBA rookie year before fracturing his right tibia and sitting out the rest of the season. Even when he healed enough to play in Summer League two months ago, Randle averaged only 20.5 minutes per game and sat out in a back-to-back. This time, the Lakers have released Randle’s handcuffs.

“It’s been good,” Randle said, a smile forming as he said those words. “It’s been a year. It was amazing.”

It remains understandable Randle would feel that way. But it still sounded amusing. After all, Randle had just completed a 2 1/2 hour practice filled with conditioning drills, shooting exercises and scrimmaging. The Lakers would then have a two-hour evening session. Who would have thought Randle would relish such physical torture?

“Yeah, that’s true,” Randle said, “especially after last year.”

Then, Randle looked winded after going through Scott’s conditioning drills. After completing sprints, Randle often hunched over onto the ground with beads of sweat dripping down his face. This time, Randle has completed all of those drills without looking fatigued or experiencing any setbacks with his surgically repaired right leg and right foot.

Lakers coach Byron Scott notices something else, too.

“Confidence,” Scott said. “Now he feels he can definitely play at this level. Last year, he was guessing and wondering if he could.”

The Lakers selected Randle seventh overall after becoming intrigued with his versatility as a bruising power forward and playmaker. But Scott often mentioned during training camp how Randle looked lost on the court. Randle also admittedly struggled with adapting to the game’s pace.

The Lakers never could learn how Randle would handle those hiccups throughout the 2014-15 season, the campaign ending with a 21-61 record partly because of Randle’s absence. But he compensated elsewhere.

Randle lost about 20 pounds of fat and gained 10 pounds of muscle by cutting out sugary sweets, fried foods and anything else heavy on carbohydrates. He watched countless games on film and in person. Randle listened to Kobe Bryant’s advice on staying patient with step he took with rehab. He eagerly took notes during his summer workouts with Metta World Peace about body positioning, moving off-the-ball and defending. Add all that up, and Randle said he “felt the game slowing down for me.”

“He’s playing great right now. I’m really excited,” World Peace said. “He’s playing really, really well right now. I’m looking forward to seeing him make progress.”

But some of that progress has limitations.

Scott may have encouraged Randle to bring the ball up the court anytime he gets a rebound. Scott has said the same thing to Kobe Bryant, D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson. But portions of Wednesday’s scrimmage featured veteran power forward Brandon Bass playing in that group. Scott insisted he will try other lineups throughout training camp, but that combination could serve eventually represent the Lakers’ starting unit. Scott also admitted he’s “still not sure” on Randle’s potential.

“That’s kind of not really our decision, but coach’s decision,” Randle said. “It’s out there playing basketball. I’m going to compete regardless. I love the game. So I’m going to compete regardless.”

Randle did that on Wednesday, ending with a painful feeling he once forget and has since relished.

“Pretty much the soreness, I forgot about that,” Randle said. “It’s cool, I guess. I’d rather be sore than on the sideline.”

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Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant wears an ice pack on his shoulder during team practice at the Stan Sheriff Center, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015, in Honolulu. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HONOLULU — Just as nearly everyone here slept comfortably in their beds, Kobe Bryant woke up to prepare for something that has consumed him nearly his entire life.

The Lakers star trained.

He woke up at an ungodly hour for an individual workout to strengthen his body, most notably the surgically repaired right shoulder he has rehabbed in the past eight months. Bryant then arrived to practice early for an individual shooting workout to accelerate his rhythm. The Lakers’ star then participated in most of the Lakers’ 2 1/2 hour practice that started at 11 a.m, which consisted of full-court 5-on-0 and 5-on-5 drills.

“I felt pretty good,” Bryant said on Wednesday after the Lakers practiced here at Stan Sheriff Center. “I was moving well and could get the spots I wanted to and do what I wanted to on the floor.”

It may seem like a heavy workload for the Lakers’ 37-year-old guard considering his season has ended abruptly for three consecutive years because of ailments to his left Achilles tendon, left knee and right shoulder. But that explains why Bryant skipped portions of the Lakers’ conditioning drills and layup lines. Bryant also will rest during the Lakers’ evening portion of practice, a two-hour session Lakers coach Byron Scott plans to devote toward technical drills.

In between his first and second days of practices, Bryant has undergone repeated treatment that includes modalities, massages and ice bags.

“It was good,” Bryant said. “But honestly my summer regimen was much worse.”

It appears Bryant wants to push the envelope in strengthening his body and shedding off rust, while trimming his workload. But during portions of the Lakers’ scrimmage that were open to reporters, Bryant adopted a less-is-more approach.

The Lakers’ star dismissed playing at small forward instead of shooting guard, noting he has played that position before “in the last 10 years.” But as he played with D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Brandon Bass and Roy Hibbert, Bryant did not shoot at all, let alone touch the ball.

“I don’t think it matters, man. You play the flow of the game and see what comes,” Bryant said. “I don’t have to handle the ball at all. That leaves more time to catch and shoot.”

Bryant still provided a presence where he frequently shouted out defensive coverages. Of course, teammates have noticed his intensive practice itinerary. Randle came with Bryant to practice early, while Metta World Peace was already working out in the weight room.

“It was fun,” Bryant said. “At the end, we got a chance to go up and down a bit. That was good.”

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Los Angeles Lakers Media Day in El Segundo Monday September 28, 2015. Nick Young smiles during interview.
Photo By Robert Casillas / Daily Breeze

So many things happened that made Nick Young’s normally infectious smile turn into a frown.

The Lakers finished 21-61 last season in what marked their worst record in franchise history. Young shot only 36.6 percent from the field, his worst mark in his eight-year NBA career. He missed the last two months of the season because of fractured left knee. Through it all, Young clashed with Lakers coach Byron Scott amid his role, his inconsistency, his tardiness to games and for an infamous post-game celebration. Once it all ended, the Lakers tried trading Young this summer only to find uninterested suitors.

But Young reported to the Lakers’ training camp still bearing the same smile, vowing that he will write a script that entails a happier ending.

“We all got something to prove,” Young said. “I went in my Batcave and got my mind right. I feel good. I got away from everything and got back to playing and enjoying it.”

Young has said he focused this summer both on weight training and on following Scott’s advice to diversify his game as a passer, off-the-ball shooter and defender. After the two strongly became at odds last season, the tension has simmered down. Two weeks after publicly expressing his frustration about Scott’s criticism, Young changed his sentiment following his exit meeting. Young said the dialogue continued this summer.

“It’s been great. We sat down and talked and went to his camp and talked to his kids,” Young said of Scott. “We needed to go through that and needed to talk. I’m just going to do whatever it takes to get out there.”

If not, the Lakers could lean more on Lou Williams. Though Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak have maintained the two could co-exist, Williams is the reigning NBA’s sixth man of the year because of his high-volume scoring. The sentiment around the NBA suggests Williams has a positive locker room presence, something that lacked in Young’s second-year with the Lakers amid his aforementioned struggles.

How will this dynamic work if the Lakers encounter early-season struggles or Young falls out of the rotation?

“I’m not trying to be the center of the soap opera or the drama. I’m going to end up doing Marshawn Lynch interviews,” Young joked, referring to the Seattle Seahawks’ running back for declining media requests. “I’m going to take the Marshawn Lynch approach. I’ll put Swaggy in a cage.”

Young stayed in true form, however, during the Lakers’ Media Day on a number of topics.

He offered an optimistic prediction on Kobe Bryant’s 20th and perhaps final NBA season after nursing season-ending injuries in the last three seasons to his left Achilles tendon, left knee and right shoulder.

“He’s going to play a full season. I know it’s been tough on him,” Young said of Bryant. “He’s not used to being in situations like this. It was a blessing in disguise. I think he learned from it. I see he’s been going to each booth today. He normally skips out after a few minutes. He’s ready.”

Young laughed about the potential comedy as he readies sharing a locker room with Metta World Peace. Will Young legally change his name to “Swaggy P” the same way the former Ron Artest did?

“Nah, that’s too much work,” Young said. “It’s already pretty much my name. Nobody calls me Nick out there in the streets. I’ll change my name back to Nicholas. Call me Nicholas for now on.”

Then Young retold an old joke on how he blamed last shooting woes on the rim, saying he would take it on the date even if it made his fiance, hip-hop artist Iggy Azalea, jealous.

“We got back on the same page,” Young said of the rim. “I took her to Morton’s Steakhouse, got her a steak or two. Now I’m good. It’s going to go in this year.”

The Lakers anxiously await.

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HONOULU — The exercised involved a simple three-man drill, but Lakers rookie guard D’Angelo Russell struggled to process it all.

The drill itself is simple and elementary for any basketball team, let alone the Lakers. But what left Russell pinching himself on his first day of Lakers’ training camp here at Stan Sheriff Center entailed who also completed the drill. His name is Kobe Bryant. He is entering his 20th and perhaps final NBA season. And when Bryant made his preseason debut here on Oct. 10, 1996, Russell had only turned 221 days old.

“It was great. You try to keep it off your mind like this guys is not right besides you,” Russell said Tuesday after the Lakers’ practiced. “That’s something you have to get past. If you want to be the best, we have to look at him as a mentor and not look at him as a fan.”

That explains why Russell took notes on how Bryant looked in his first practice since tearing the rotator cuff in his right shoulder eight months ago, an injury that required season-ending surgery. Toward the tail end of practice, Bryant skipped portions of the Lakers’ sprinting and shooting drills while receiving treatment on his shoulder.

“He looked good. You could tell he was trying to pace himself a little bit,” Russell said of Bryant. “I didn’t really know what to expect. Coming in, I didn’t think he’d be go through the whole practice knowing it’s his first one back. He looked good.”

That explains why Russell arose early Monday morning in hopes to squeeze an early workout in, though a certain Lakers’ teammate already beat him to the punch.

“I couldn’t sleep last night, so I woke up really early just ready to get here. But I know Kobe got here early,” Russell said. “I know I plan on getting here early also. It was like the first day of school honestly.”

And on that first day of school, Russell’s teacher already handed out a generous evaluation.

“He knows the little details about the game here and there,” Bryant said of Russell. “He loves the game. When you have player that loves the game, it’s my responsibility to make sure he never loses sight of that through difficult moments and even the great moments and focus on the love of the game. Once you have that, you’ll probably solve everything. So stay focused on that. I have to keep him locked in there.”

Bryant did not stop there.

“He has a lot of poise out there,” Bryant said of Russell. “He’s very calm under duress. He doesn’t seem fazed by much.”

Well, with perhaps one exception.

Russell admitted feeling overwhelmed with Bryant’s presence. Russell’s eyes also lit up when informed about Bryant’s glowing assessment.

“Those are high words,” Russell said. “I feel like a lot of guys have that one inspiration off the court that keeps them going. Mine is being on the court. I have the opportunity to be blessed and play every day. I really take those strong words into consideration. I keep working. You’re getting paid to do something you love. Not a lot of guys get to dream of something when you’re young and make it a reality.”

Yet, Bryant still shed down layers of his steely persona. Moments before talking to reporters, Bryant stopped to chat with Russell and Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson. Then, Bryant laughed with them and embraced them.

“He’s going to get some wisdom from one of the greatest players that ever played the game,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said of Russell. “Kobe, obviously during the drills, is taking him to the side and talking to him and I saw that this morning. D’Angelo is one of those guys that’s a sponge. He wants to learn. That’s a great relationship to have and to be able to talk to somebody that’s been there so many times and been so successful.”

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Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant wears an ice pack on his shoulder during team practice at the Stan Sheriff Center, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015, in Honolulu. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HONOLULU — The nostalgia struck Kobe Bryant and Byron Scott, their return trip here to Stan Sheriff Center sparking memories that seem so long ago.

Scott began his last NBA season 19 years ago at training camp here at the same time Bryant entered the league, the player-mentor relationship eventually morphing to a coach-player partnership.

“It feels beautiful,” Bryant said. “It’s the cycle nature of sports. It feels good to be in this moment.”

Scott and Bryant experienced this moment many times.

The late Lakers owner Jerry Buss began this tradition in 1988, which morphed into the Lakers going here for eight of the nine next NBA exhibition seasons. Scott appeared in five of those training camps from 1988-1990, 1992 and 1996, viewing them as a refuge from the ordinary.

“It was always great to come here to get away from Los Angeles for a little while so you concentrate and focus on the things you had to do in training camp,” Scott said. “Now you can’t go home to your wife, girlfriends and kids. You have to stay around with your teammate and get that camaraderie and togetherness that you want.”

Bryant sounded just as sentimental, saying he has “a lot of great memories here” and that he “felt like a local from day one.” But Bryant did not always experience the camaraderie that Scott enjoyed at training camp here.

The Lakers came here in the middle of their three-peat in 2001. But the Lakers’ training camp in Hawaii also coincided with less positive incidents. Bryant missing training camp here after being accused of sexual assault, though charges were later dropped (2003). The Lakers returned in 2005 a season after the Lakers missed the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. The Lakers came back in 2007 a few months after Bryant had publicly demanded a trade amid frustration with the franchise’s rebuilding efforts.

Still, Bryant marveled that he played along enough to return again after Lakers president Jeanie Buss spearheaded the trip as a way to continue tradition and attract potential free agents.

“All my teammates that were here before,” Bryant said, “they’re all now either retired or coaching. Or on TV.”

The Lakers will hold practices here this week, including two-a-day sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. They will play two exhibition games against the Utah Jazz on Sunday and Tuesday and hold practices on Monday and Wednesday before returning to Los Angeles.

“It’s great to be back in Hawaii,” Scott said. “I don’t know if it’s [Kobe’s] last training camp or not, but to be back at the place he started is very special.”

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HONOLULU — The players lined up on one side of the court, waiting for Lakers coach Byron Scott to blow his whistle to signal the beginning of yet another arduous exercise. Then it happened, the shriek of Scott’s whistle prompting all of his players to run up and down the court.

Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson finished the drills first, prompting Scott to say “the kid seems like he can run all day.” Lakers guard Kobe Bryant sat on a trainer’s table, but Scott reported Bryant “remained ahead of the pack” in conditioning drills he participated before the Lakers permitted reporters to view practice. And then there was Lakers rookie guard D’Angelo Russell, who completed the drills adequately before admitting afterwards he hardly enjoyed them.

“Running is punishment to me,” Russell said after the Lakers’ first day of training camp on Tuesday at Stan Sheriff Center. “I don’t think anyone wants to run for fun unless you’re a track star. I don’t think they enjoy it either.”

But Russell knew well ahead of time what would greet him in his first NBA practice. Scott has developed a league-wide reputation for holding training camps that place a heavy emphasis on running. Russell spent part of his offseason completing conditioning drills to prepare. Yet, Russell still described the process as “tough.”

“It’s all mental,” Russell said. “It’s something you have to do and prepare your body for.”

Yet, Scott sounded far more forgiving on Russell’s first practice than the intensity of his running drills.

“His conditioning was really good and he shot the ball extremely well,” Scott said of Russell. “On the defensive end, he’s working on some of those things we want him to work on that end of the floor with communication and understanding where he needs to be.”

Even if he felt tired, the 19-year-old Russell showed enough stamina and quickness to make most of his attempts in shooting drills open to the media. But tougher tests await.

The Lakers will hold two-a-day sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Of course, the grind of an 82-game NBA season exposes every player’s durability and conditioning with each passing moment.

“I want to see which guys are willing to bust their butts. I’m going to find out,” Scott said. “One of my pet peeves, if we’re going to lose some games this year, it’s not going to be because we’re not in shape. If we’re going to lose games, it’s because some teams are better than we are that night. The one thing I want our team in that fourth quarter is be strong mentally as well as physically.”

Scott said the Lakers passed the first test, singling out Russell, Bryant, Clarkson, Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bass, Tarik Black and Ryan Kelly as players that impressed him with their conditioning level.

“Half the guys were in great shape and terrific shape. The other half were in good shape,” Scott said. “There was not one person that wasn’t ready for camp. Usually I have a couple guys throwing up.”

But it appears the experience left a sour taste in Russell’s mouth, the Lakers’ rookie admitting a return trip to Hawaii on vacation may spark unpleasant memories about his first day in training camp.

“I probably wouldn’t want to come back knowing there’s a lot of running,” Russell said. “I’ll have to be with my family with no basketball shoes.”

Moments later, Russell expressed something that enabled him to push through amid the endless whistles.

“It comes with the success you have,” Russell said. “You have to run and put yourself in tip top shape.”

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Los Angeles Lakers Media Day in El Segundo Monday September 28, 2015. Roy Hibbert interview.
Photo By Robert Casillas / Daily Breeze

All the numbers suggest the NBA teams should go small, the influx of speedy point guards and outside shooters forcing the game to put less of an emphasis on size and power.

But to break that trend, Lakers center Roy Hibbert wants to take advantage of another number. His weight. Hibbert spent a significant chunk of his offseason losing 15 pounds in fat, so he would no longer become seen as a plodding big man.

“With how the NBA is going, you have a lot of quick centers,” Hibbert said on Monday at the Lakers’ Media Day at their practice facility in El Segundo. “It’s changed some things up. But I feel I’m in a place where I can hold my own in the post and get up and down the court.”

One of those centers includes Golden State’s Andrew Bogut, whose contributions Hibbert believes quickly became overshadowed with the outside shooting from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson’s emergence as well as the defense from Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green. Yet, the 7-foot Bogut still landed on the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team and finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year votes despite averaging a career-low 23.6 minutes per game.

“He didn’t score a lot, and he’s not the fastest guy out there. No disrespect to him,” Hibbert said of Bogut. “He was a friend of mien and I’ve known him for a while. I admire his game and how he sacrifices what he does to help his team win a championship. I don’t mind being the older guy that has to sacrifice and be the defensive anchor.”

Hibbert sure had to sacrifice in his last season with the Indiana Pacers. He averaged only 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in 25.3 minutes amid the Pacers’ quest to player smaller and faster. The Pacers then traded Hibbert to the Lakers for only a second round pick just to expend his $15.51 million salary. But the Lakers are leaning on Hibbert’s credentials as a former two-time All-Star and an All-NBA second defensive team member to revamp the Lakers after finishing 29th out of 30 NBA teams in defensive efficiency.

Hibbert embraced that concept, mindful that his role could ease Kobe Bryant’s burden and enable him to have a successful comeback after nursing three season-ending injuries in consecutive years.

“He’s one of the greatest players to play the game,” Hibbert said of Bryant. “I’m expecting him to do what he does. Im going to be sure im ready to go to help him ut and fall in line. I expected him to be what he’s always been, and I’ll be here to help.”

Part of that hinges on Hibbert’s dieting. He listened to the Lakers’ feedback in varying his eating times and nourishing his body with more protein. He did not listen to the voice inside his head.

“Would I like to have a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting? Yeah, I would,” Hibbert said, laughing. “But this is part of my game.”

Hibbert will find out on Tuesday how much of a difference that made, his first step in countering the analytics suggest his decreased value in a league lacking traditional big men.

“I’ll see how it goes after training camp,” Hibbert said. “So if any of you guys make the trip to Hawaii, Ill have an answer for you.”

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Lakers forward Julius Randle holds court. Photo By Robert Casillas / Daily Breeze

After only completing a string of exhibition games, Julius Randle heard some life-altering feedback that Kobe Bryant delivered with brutal honesty.

“If you [bleep] this up, you’re a really big idiot,” Bryant told Randle.

Mere moments after stepping on the practice court, Jordan Clarkson wound up defending Bryant and soon experienced the scorn most defenders experience after the Lakers’ star scores on them.

“Don’t hurt yourself young fella,” Bryant said to Clarkson after sinking a mid-range jumper over him.

Both Randle and Clarkson still have limited perspective playing with Bryant.

Randle played only 14 minutes in the NBA season opener last year before fracturing his right tibia and missing the rest of his rookie season.Clarkson did not become the Lakers’ starting point guard until Bryant needed season-ending surgery on his right shoulder after playing 35 games. But both players offered perspective on what the Lakers’ other crop of young players will need to do to absorb Bryant’s stern leadership style.

“Leaving it all out there on the line and just play hard,” said Clarkson, who made the NBA’s All-Rookie First team after averaging 15.8 points on 45.8 percent shooting, five assists and 4.2 rebounds in 32.1 minutes through 38 games as a starter. “That’s all Coach ever asks for, to give your best effort. If you’re trying to make efforts for the team to win, and putting it all on the line, that’s where you gain your respect at all times.”

Bryant granted Clarkson that respect as he quickly grew into a combo guard capable of creating his own shot. Bryant often drew up X’s and O’s diagrams whenever he attended some of the Lakers’ home games to point out pick-and-roll coverages and spacing. Clarkson also noted in an article for The Players’ Tribune not to sweat the fact that he had missed a wide-open layup in a nationally televised game against Chicago on Christmas Day.

Meanwhile, Bryant represented one of the first to call Randle hours after his season-ending injury. Randle has often credited Bryant for his persistent feedback on dieting and staying patient with rehabbing.

“I think we’ll be fine. Kobe is an all time great. More than anything, this young corps should want to learn from him,” Randle said. “It’ll elevate our game by learning from him.”

The candidates seem plenty.

No. 2 draft pick D’Angelo Russell will likely share ball handling duties with Bryant. Rookie forward Anthony Brown will likely have the unenviable task of guarding Bryant in practice. Reserve scorer Lou Williams could pick up tips on both enhancing his scoring and adjusting with Bryant on the floor. Roy Hibbert could receive feedback from Bryant on the various nuances other former frontcourt teammates, including Shaquille O’Neal and Pau Gasol.

Plenty of whom reported to the Lakers’ informal workouts at their practice facility leading into training camp, eager to provide a more compelling narrative to last year’s 21-61 finish that represented the Lakers’ worst record in franchise history.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that, they want to learn and have a good season,” Clarkson said. “Last year wasn’t fun losing all those games, but at the same time we did learn a lot and we worked and we kept improving. That’s all we can ask for and now we’ve got to put it all together during training camp and hopefully get some wins.”

And it appears Bryant has already noticed.

“Players that love the game, you never have to convince them to get into the gym,” Bryant said. “They do it naturally because they love doing it.”

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Former Laker James Worthy will work with the team’s frontcourt players this upcoming season. Photo credit: John McCoy / Staff Photographer

The man provided a commanding presence, James Worthy’s dapper suit, friendly personality and Hall of Fame resume attracting plenty of reporters, Lakers officials and players alike to chat with the former Showtime Laker.

Worthy appeared at the Lakers’ practice facility for the team’s media day on Monday as an analyst for Time Warner Cable SportsNet, but it turns out his role will become more involved for the 2015-16 season. The Lakers hired Worthy to work with Byron Scott’s coaching staff, mainly to develop the team’s core of frontcourt players in Julius Randle, Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bass, Larry Nance Jr. and Tarik Black.

The reasons appear pretty self-explanatory after Worthy won three NBA championships with the Showtime Lakers during his 12-year NBA career and being named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history.

“You got one of the best post players that ever played the game,” said Lakers coach Byron Scott, one of Worthy’s former teammates. “We’ll let James come in and kind of teach those guys some of the things he was able to accomplish in this league. We’re trying to take advantage of every situation that we can to make sure we give our players a chance to get even better a lot sooner.”

Worthy traveled to Honolulu for the Lakers’ training camp beginning on Tuesday where he will both retain his role as a TWC SportsNet analyst and begin working with the Lakers’ frontcourt players. He attended training camp sessions last year, narrowing his focus with Lakers forward Julius Randle. Though he played only 14 minutes in the Lakers’ season opener before fracturing his right tibia, Randle has largely credited Worthy’s support. Worthy called Randle shortly after his injury, and frequently implored the Lakers’ rookie to study game film. Worthy also provided perspective after fracturing his left tibia his rookie year with the Lakers late in the 1982-83 season and missed the playoffs.

“I learned a lot from him last year,” Randle said. “It was huge for me. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be great to pick his brain again. He saw me the other day and I was very excited to get that opportunity.”

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant also shared that Worthy taught him various post moves, instruction the Lakers’ star relished amid his quest to fight old age by resorting to his fundamentals.

“It’s amazing,” Bryant said of the hire. “It’s an extremely smart move. We’re one of these organizations that is very fortunate to have some of the all-time greats have played here. You’ve got to use that.”

Worthy, whom the Lakers selected first overall in 1982, earned the nickname “Big Game” amid a his 12-year career here (1982-1994). He finished sixth all-time in scoring (16,320), seventh in field-goal percentage (52.1%) and third in steals (1,041). Worth also made seven NBA All-Star teams (1986-92), won the Finals MVP (1988) and posted a triple double in Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons.

“James was one of the best forwards to ever play the game,” Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. “We feel he will be a valuable addition to the coaching staff and will do an excellent job teaching our group of big men. We are pleased and fortunate to welcome him back to the organization.”

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Kobe Bryant is swarmed Monday as he talks about the upcoming season, which is expected to be his last in a Lakers uniform. ROBERT CASILLAS — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Everyone watched Kobe Bryant’s every movement. The Lakers’ star attracted mob-like attention as he walked around the Lakers’ practice facility to film endless promotional spots and conduct endless interviews on Monday at the team’s annual Media Day.

Each step Bryant takes on the court in the 2015-16 NBA season could cause the same frenzy. He enters his 20th NBA season that pays him $25 million, and the intrigue goes beyond whether he can stay healthy after his season ended abruptly for three consecutive years because of ailing injuries. The debate will linger on if this will mark Bryant’s last NBA season. All of which led the Lakers’ star to express uncertainty in blunt terms.

“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t,” Bryant said. “Hell if I know. I don’t know.”

Bryant spoke those words without any hint of sarcasm or vagueness. The Lakers’ star maintained he has no idea what to expect on how well he and his teammates play, let alone whether he wants to prolong his NBA career.

The conventional wisdom suggests Bryant’s future will hinge on if he can stay healthy and how quickly the Lakers’ core of young players develop, two variables that will determine the length of the franchise’s current rebuilding project. But Bryant suggested other unforseen circumstances could emerge influence his thinking.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Bryant said. “I’ve thought about it a little bit in terms of, what is the deciding factor? How do players actually know when it’s time to hang them up, truly? Everybody kind of gives you guys the standard cookie-cutter answers – relaxing, golfing, spending time with the family, things like that. But, really, how do you truly know? And I don’t know. I’ll have a much better answer when that time comes for me.”

But that will hardly stop anyone from offering take.

New York Knicks president and former Lakers coach Phil Jackson suggested Bryant may leave the Lakers for another NBA team this season, indirectly suggesting the Knicks as a possibility.

“I can’t spend my season responding to what everybody says,” Bryant said. “Everybody is going to have opinions. I can’t comment on every single opinion that everybody makes, even if it’s a coach that I won so many championships with and know extremely well. It’s still his opinion. There will be many others.”

Usually, the Lakers’ star would express annoyance over such a debate. Case in point, Bryant said sarcastically that he will make his announcement on his NBA future in two days. But Bryant seemed intrigued about the discussion, mindful it centers on a productive NBA career that has spanned five NBA championships and a third-place standing on the league’s all-time scoring list. Bryant will also soon become the lone Lakers player to play for the franchise for 20 seasons.

“It could get to become a pain in the [butt,],” Bryant said about the discussion surrounding his pending retirement. “But when I sit back and think about it, it’s actually cool, because it means that you’ve had a really good career and people want to know when the time is coming for you to hang ‘em up. Like me, don’t like me, [but people] respect the career that I’ve had. I think that’s a pretty damn cool thing.”

But Bryant has his limits.

He may have spoken to former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter about his retirement last year as well as their recent business partnership with “The Players Tribune.” But Bryant did not sound interested in a farewell tour, even if the Lakers will honor him with unspecific tributes during home games to commemorate his 20th NBA season.

“We’re completely different people. I couldn’t do that,” Bryant said. “We joke that he and I couldn’t be any more opposite with personalities. It’s fun just kind of hearing his perspective and what he went through and kind of what triggered the decision for him to step away from the game. I don’t know what that’s going to be for me.”

Bryant maintains that feeling will linger for the next eight months, his thoughts dwelling more on how he can help the 2015-16 Lakers overachieve than determining when his last stand will take place.

“I don’t dwell on it too much, honestly. If it is, it is. If it isn’t, I’ll be ready for next season. I don’t spend too much time thinking about it. I’ve got enough to think about,” Bryant said. “We’ve got such a young team and a lot of things to solve. So I have to – in all seriousness – spend my energy thinking about that stuff. I’m not going to BS you guys. If I going to think about it or if I was going to make decision or if I knew, I’d say it. It’s no big deal to me. But I really have to focus on this group, because it is going to be a challenge to put this puzzle together.”

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com