MANILA, Philippines – Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is asking critics to “back off” from Miami Heat forward LeBron James.

In an interview with ESPN’s George Smith, Bryant addressed the media and fan backlash on James, whose team lost in 6 games to the Dallas Mavericks.

“I think people need to lay off that kid,” Bryant said, adding that he had gotten to know James well through the Olympic team.

The 2-time NBA Most Valuable Player was criticized for his failure in the NBA Finals, specially during the 4th quarter.

“They need to let him play, let him live his life, let him make his decisions and let him mature as a player,” Bryant added.

Bryant, who is a 5-time NBA champion, said that it was tough to be under the microscope all the time.

James and the Miami Heat were subject to intense media scrutiny throughout the 2010-2011 NBA season, after he and fellow All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh came together to play in South Beach.

“I would like everybody to just back off him and just let him play,” Bryant said.

Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports basketball blog Ball Don’t Lie praised Bryant’s words, saying that it was “incredibly cool” of Bryant to defend James, especially as the 2 players were supposed to be big rivals.

But other sports bloggers say that Bryant’s words will have little effect.

The Lakers Blog on the Los Angeles Times says that James invited the media attention after announcing his free agency decision on a 1-hour special on ESPN, as well as claiming that the Heat will win multiple championships.

Matt Moore of CBS, meanwhile, says that Bryant’s comment was a nice sentiment, but it will not affect sports fans’ feelings towards James.

Read More: Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers

The 2011-2012 NBA schedule was released on Tuesday, despite the NBA lockout currently in its third week. Opening week of the (fingers crossed) ’11-12 campaign includes four national TV double-headers, with three teams — the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and, somewhat oddly, Portland Trail Blazers – featured twice each.

The Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls begin the schedule on Tuesday, November 1, meeting up at the American Airlines Center in Big D. The Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder will match up in the second game of TNT’s double-header that day.

On Wednesday, ESPN takes over TV duties as the Miami Heat visit the New York Knicks and Lakers visit the Golden State Warriors, starring former ESPN analyst Mark Jackson. (Let’s make sure Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy work the late game, OK?)

TNT has its regular Thursday double-header, and it gets a couple of division rivalries: the Orlando Magic visit the Miami Heat, and the Portland Trail Blazers take on the Denver Nuggets. (NBA.com’s schedule currently lists Magic-Heat as a League Pass game and Utah Jazz-Memphis Grizzlies as a 9 p.m. TNT game, but that has to be wrong.)

ESPN’s Friday double-header features the Boston Celtics visiting the Atlanta Hawks, and Blazers visiting Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The NBA has no national TV games (except for a couple of NBA TV games) on opening weekend.

Read More: Shaquille O`Neal (C – BOS), Los Angeles Lakers

Jerry Buss, the franchise owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, said the team will “forever be grateful” to Shaquille O’Neal, for eight years L.A.’s All-Star center, who on Wednesday announced he will retire from the NBA after 19 seasons. Shaq chose the Lakers in free agency in 1996 and won three NBA championships and an MVP award in Los Angeles before being traded to the Miami Heat in 2004 amid drama with co-star Kobe Bryant.

In statement released on the Lakers’ website, Buss expressed his gratitude for Shaq.

“Shaq had a long and amazing career, with a huge impact both on and off the court,” the statement read. ”His contributions were significant to the entire NBA, but we specifically appreciate what he did with and what he meant to the Lakers during his eight years with us. We have three championships that we wouldn’t have won without him, and we will forever be grateful for his significant contributions to those teams.”

For more on Shaq’s Laker legacy, visit Silver Screen And Roll and SB Nation Los Angeles.