LOS ANGELES Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak created some buzz by saying future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant had told him that next season would be his last with the Lakers, but the team said Friday that was no surprise.

    “He has indicated to me that this is it,” Kupchak said about guard Bryant to SiriusXM NBA Radio on Thursday.

    However, the Lakers, whom Bryant has won five NBA titles with, said that has been the team’s assumption for some time. “There’s nothing new to it at all. Nothing that’s different from any comments Mitch has made over the past several months,” Lakers spokesman John Black said. “This is the last year of his contract. He hasn’t given any indication that he wants to play beyond this year.”

    Bryant, a 17-time All-Star, has battled a string of recent injuries, suffering a torn Achilles tendon near the end of the 2013 season followed by a fractured left knee.(SD-Agencies)