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Kobe Bryant, the 17-year-old guard who left college to play in the NBA, has signed a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers worth about$3.5m (pounds 2.3m). Los Angeles, who signed Shaquille O'Neal last week, now has all nine of its players under contract. The team will fill the remaining three spots on the roster with free agents.

Manchester Giants have signed American point guard Michael Brown, 23, who has just graduated from Providence College, where he made a major impact in the top-rated Big East Conference.