For the first time since the death of Kobe Bryant last weekend, the Lakers returned to the Staples Center court in an emotional homecoming against the Portland Trailblazers.
And although the Lakers — who clearly had other, more important things on their minds last night — didn’t come out on top, LeBron James couldn’t stress enough that there’s more to this world than just numbers on a scoreboard.
“At the end of the day we all punch our clocks,” he told reporters postgame. “Just make sure you hug the shit out of your family. If you got kids, tell your kids you love them. Try to make it to as much as you can.”
James cited attending the Jan. 20 high school game his son Bronny played in the Boston area – the afternoon before the Lakers were hammered by the Celtics, 139-107.
“Don’t feel bad if you happen to go to one of your loved ones’ … events or something like that, and sacrifice your job. Because I didn’t feel bad in Boston when I went to go see my son two hours away in Springfield and we had a game that night. We got our ass kicked. But I didn’t feel bad at all.”
During the pregame, players wore purple and gold Kobe No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys while fans in attendance received Kobe shirts at their seats. And in addition to Kobe, the Lakers also paid tribute to his daughter Gianna who also died in the crash as well as the seven other victims.
