Kobe Bryant back in LA, will attend Melo pitch meeting

European vacations have been put on hold as the Lakers are amidst one of the most important summers in recent memory. With a meeting with Carmelo Anthony on the horizon Thursday, Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant flew home from his vacation in Greece and Europe to attend the meeting, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

"Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Kobe Bryant flew in late Wednesday night from a European vacation so he could attend and play a key part in the team’s pitch to free-agent forward Carmelo Anthony on Thursday, sources with knowledge of the situation said.Bryant has a long history and friendship with Anthony and has been courting him for some time but felt it was important to be there when the Lakers made their pitch to him at an undisclosed location in Los Angeles."

Bryant has already recruited both Anthony and LeBron James, but considering he’s one of the few players on the roster and certainly the most noteworthy. If Bryant is committed to passing the torch to Anthony or James, including him in the meetings is certainly a necessity.

The Lakers remain focused on James and Anthony as of now, with the second tier of free agents on the back burner. While James’ status hasn’t advanced since the opening of free agency, the Lakers are one of the few teams who can offer him a max contract, making them a factor in some way.

Considering both are pure scorers, the Lakers feel Melo and Bryant would complement each other nicely. There certainly would be no lack of offense between the two no matter what the Lakers do the rest of the off-season.

The meeting will also include Jim Buss, Jeanie Buss, and Mitch Kupchak among a handful of other influential players in the Lakers front office.

Let us know below if you think Carmelo will be in purple and gold next season