Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe and Vanessa Bryant launched their reconciliation tour last night by hitting up the Warner Bros. Golden Globes after-party together ... just a few days after Vanessa called off the split.

The on-again, off-again, on-again couple announced last week they were pulling the plug on their divorce, which seemed like a foregone conclusion after they were seen together at the 12-12-12 concert and on New Year's Eve.

Rebounding has always been a strength of Kobe's game.

Kobe Bryant is NOT getting divorced.

TMZ broke the story ... Vanessa -- through her lawyer, disso-queen Laura Wasser -- filed to end her marriage in December, 2011. Several months later ... Kobe -- in an attempt to win her back -- deeded over his interest in their 3 Newport Beach mansions.

Since she filed, Vanessa and Kobe were on-again, off-again like high school students.

But in the last month ... they got very tight. A turning point seemed to be the 12-12-12 Hurricane Sandy relief concert at Madison Square Garden in NYC, when the two left arm-in-arm. They spent New Year's Eve together, were spotted at lunch and have pretty much been inseparable.

There have been reports that Kobe is getting back with Vanessa because it's cheaper to keep her ... but that's just not true. Fact is ... we've checked property records and Vanessa still owns 2 of the Newport Beach mansions -- she just sold the third for $3.2 mil. We don't know for sure, but it seems like Kobe may have signed a post-nup, giving Vanessa more financial leverage in the relationship.

Kobe Bryant's wife just lost one-third of her real estate portfolio ... unloading one of the three Newport Beach mansions Kobe gave her right after they split back in 2011 ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... Vanessa Bryant listed the 6,000 sq. ft. Newport Beach property back in September for $3.75 million -- and she finally closed the deal this month for $3.22 million.

Kobe and Vanessa purchased the place back in 2003 for $2.65 million. Vanessa's mother Sofia was living in the home prior to the sale.

The house is one of three massive Newport Beach mansions Kobe gave Vanessa last year ... one month after she filed for divorce.

As for the status of Kobe and Vanessa's divorce -- the papers have not been withdrawn ... and one source tells us they're on and off so much it's hard to get a read.

Still, the two were acting pretty coupley in public as recently as New Year's -- maybe 2013 is the year of the comeback.

The Los Angeles Lakers STINK ... THEY SUCK ... NOT GOOD ... this according to someone who would know, Denver Nuggets star Ty Lawson.

Just a few hours after Ty and the Nuggets beat up the Lake Show in L.A. last night, Lawson celebrated in Hollywood ... and talked some serious trash about the purple and gold.

"We bust they ass," Lawson said ... adding, "I told Kobe, we gonna bust they ass and they gonna deal with it ... Easy work!"

Dwight Howard might be a Los Angeles Laker, but part of him is still a member of the Orlando Magic ... specifically, his head.

In town to play the New York Knicks last month, D12 hit up a hat store in Harlem and wouldn't you know it ... he picked up a hat of his former team.

According to our witness, Dwight didn't just pick up the hat ... HE BOUGHT IT!!!

For the non-sports fans out there ... Dwight was traded away by the Magic last year after he basically whined his way out of town. It was not a happy parting of the ways.

One second we're all toasting Phil Jackson and Jeanie Buss' engagement -- the next someone's blowing the whistle on a possibly, maybe tiny bit sexist headline. Hmm ... wonder who wrote that?

Former LA Lakers coach Phil Jackson has finally popped the question to his longtime girlfriend Jeanie Buss -- after 12 years of dating -- but the real question ... could this affect the Zen Master's possible coaching gig with the Brooklyn Nets?

Our Lakers source tells us the engagement went down on Christmas day, but Jeanie -- daughter of Lakers owner Jerry Buss -- didn't reveal the ring until moments ago.

She posted a pic of the huge rock on Twitter with the caption ... "Phil finally gave me that ring I wanted!"

Kobe Bryant made an extremely rare appearance on the Sunset Strip for New Year's Eve -- and he did it with his sometimes estranged wife Vanessa Bryant.

Kobe and Vanessa -- both dressed to the nines -- sure looked like things are back on for 2013 as they walked out of BOA Steakhouse.

We asked the Black Mamba what he's doing to stay on top of his game -- and he answered, "lot of hard work."

Here's the thing -- was he talking about basketball ... or Vanessa?

Her year-old divorce petition is still filed, but our sources say it looks like they're working things out ... again ... for now.

Kobe Bryant and his estranged wife Vanessa didn't appear too estranged last night ... strolling around NYC together last night arm in arm ... but sources tell TMZ, it's a different story behind the scenes.

Kobe and Vanessa looked as couply as a couple could look on their way out of the 12-12-12 concert at Madison Square Garden ... even sharing a ride home.

Of course, in public ... Kobe and Vanessa appear to be well along the road to reconciliation ever since she filed for divorce in 2011 -- kissing in public, lunching together and now going on concert dates.

But sources connected to the couple tell TMZ ... Kobe ain't outta the woods yet.

Phil Jackson says he doesn't want to return to the Lakers organization ... even if they ask him ... and to make things worse, Phil told TMZ he doesn't think the squad is championship material either.

Phil and his GF Jeanie Buss were out on a dinner date at Gjelina in Venice, CA last night ... when we asked the Zen Master if he would be open to rejoining the team if things didn't work out with the Lakers current head coach Mike D'Antoni.

L.A. Lakers star Devin Ebanks isn't out of the woods yet ... despite being cleared in a rape investigation last year -- because the woman who accused him of sexual assault has now filed a civil lawsuit.

The woman -- who filed the lawsuit anonymously in L.A. County Superior Court -- claims Ebanks forcibly penetrated her vagina with his penis after taking her home from a nightclub in September 2011.

As we reported, the woman filed a report with the LAPD, which then conducted a rape investigation -- but the L.A. County D.A. refused to file charges against Ebanks due to lack of evidence.

Now, the woman's hoping to recover monetary damages in civil court -- suing Ebanks for sexual assault and battery, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

She's suing for unspecified damages.

When L.A. Lakers star Steve Nash joined the team, he said one of the benefits was that he could be closer to his kids ... which is why his legal fight to keep his children out of California is bizarre.

Sources connected with the couple tell TMZ ... Nash's ex-wife Alejandra wants to move the former couple's three children from AZ to L.A. We're told Nash has objected and is waging a legal war to prevent it from happening.

Our sources say Alejandra hired one of the biggest divorce lawyers in L.A., Lance Spiegel, to fight Nash in both AZ and California courts.

As for why Nash doesn't want his kids moving closer to him, we called his rep but haven't heard back.

Based on our research, one thing's for sure ... Nash will get socked for WAYYY more child support in CA than AZ.

We're told there is a gag order in place ... so no one can talk about the case.

Spiegel told TMZ, "I can't comment on the information you attribute to sources connected with TMZ."

Phil Jackson says he's NOT bitter at the Lakers for passing him over for the head coaching job earlier this month ... claiming Lakers brass decided to go with Mike D'Antoni in a "midnight coup."

The Zen Master was out in Santa Barbara this weekend ... when he was asked if he felt the Lakers treated him unfairly during the negotiations. Jackson explained, "We never discussed any terms ... so there was never anything unfair about it."

Phil -- now 67-years-old -- also made it clear ... the chances of him ever coaching in the NBA again are "slim and none."

Still, Jackson had some advice for the Lakers ... and for Kobe Bryant.

It's the opposite of a slam dunk ... in fact it's more like a devastating defeat ... L.A. Lakers exec Jeanie Buss unloaded her L.A. mansion ... for nearly $1 MILLION LESS THAN SHE PAID.

Buss -- ya know the daughter of Lakers' head honcho Jerry Buss and girlfriend of Phil Jackson -- purchased the 4,266-sqaure-foot-digs back in 2007 ... for a cool $2,769,000.

Fast forward 5 years ... Buss recently sold the 4-bedroom, 5-bath-pad for $1.8 million. For those of you with stellar math skills ... that means she lost $969,000 on the sale.

The bright side ... the Lakers are 3-5. And just fired their coach. So not a lot of "bright."

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Metta World Peace tells TMZ ... he's not shedding any tears for his ex-coach Mike Brown ... 'cause even though he got fired, dude made out like a bandit.

MWP was leaving his birthday party at MyStudio nightclub in L.A. this weekend ... when we asked about the Lakers decision to part ways with Brown after only 5 games.

"That's a nice check man ... he got $11 million ... great career, still young ... he's gonna have more jobs and more opportunities to coach," World Peace told us.

He added, "I played for him for years in Indiana ... so Mike Brown, he's dope ... shout out to Mike Brown."

We also asked if Kobe Bryant had anything to do with Brown's termination -- but MWP was adamant he did NOT.

Lamar Odom knows what it's like to be unceremoniously dumped by the Los Angeles Lakers ... so who better to ask about the quick-trigger firing of head coach Mike Brown ... but his answers were quite strange.

Odom plays for the rival Los Angeles Clippers now, but was traded out of the blue by the Lakers last year. Our photog spotted LO last night and asked him about Brown's dismissal and whether or not Kobe Bryant and his infamous "death stare" played a role in it.

Odom answered the question with a question and the whole convo was just plain odd.