— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 1, 2020
The Lakers played Friday for the first time since the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in what "felt like a state funeral, dwarfing in emotional importance the game itself." The "lights went off inside the area, sparking chants of 'MVP!' and a star-studded tribute to Bryant." Singer Usher started the night with “Amazing Grace” before R&B music group Boyz II Men "followed with the national anthem." Laker greats Magic Johnson, Elgin Baylor and James Worthy were there along with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and Galaxy F Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez. Lakers Controlling Owner & CEO Jeanie Buss "sat with boyfriend and comedian" Jay Mohr and VP/Basketball Operations & GM Rob Pelinka (USA TODAY, 2/1).
Lakers F Lebron James delivered a "classic pregame speech honoring Kobe Bryant by tossing away a wrinkled piece of paper and speaking from his heart" (L.A. TIMES, 2/1). Bryant's presence was "everywhere at Staples Center," from the T-shirts bearing his name and uniform numbers -- 24 and 8 -- that thousands of fans wore, to the "video clips that appeared on the scoreboard during timeouts" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/1). The Lakers are "expected to announce a public memorial for Bryant and the others in the coming days" (L.A. TIMES, 2/2).
ESPN's "Hoops Streams" digital pregame show "set its streaming record with 2.4 million views." The previous record of 2.1 million was set during the NBA Finals last year (ESPN).
