The Los Angeles Lakers (11-27) have lost nine straight contests and the frustration continues to mount amongst a fanbase that is hungry to take the next step towards the legendary franchise's return to success. One person who has a ton of confidence going forward in Los Angeles' current squad is none other than Lakers' legendary retired shooting guard Kobe Bryant.

During a recent guest visit on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Bryant opened up about the Lakers' recent struggles and urges people to be patience with the team's current young core.

Via a tweet posted on Friday night from Lakers sideline reporter Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet:

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“They have a bright future. You just gotta be patient,” Bryant said. “The last thing you want to do is break the team up and then four, five years from now look back and see how great they are someplace else.”

The Lakers are looking to make a splash in free agency during the 2018 offseason or perhaps even make a trade before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. However, they may have to deal part of their current young core if they want to make a trade, which it sounds like Bryant is completely against the Lakers doing right now.

On Sunday night, the Lakers will host the Atlanta Hawks (10-28) at Staples Center in a battle between two teams who currently have the worst records in their respective conferences. The contest, which is scheduled to tip off shortly after 6:30 p.m. PT, will be broadcast live locally on Spectrum SportsNet and Fox Sports Southeast.