LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant's resonant voice echoed through the darkened Staples Center while images from his life and career flickered on the scoreboard above Friday night.
LeBron James' heartfelt pregame speech honoring his friend left fans and players alike cheering through tears.
Then, somehow, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers had to play basketball after a wrenching pregame ceremony honoring Bryant and the other eight victims killed just five days earlier in a helicopter crash.
Damian Lillard gave a performance that nudged aside the basketball world's collective heartbreak for just a moment, scoring 48 points to lead the Trail Blazers as they won 127-119 in the Lakers' first game since the death of the 41-year-old Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.
In an inspired effort, Lillard hit seven 3-pointers and added 10 assists and nine rebounds to send Portland to victory over an opponent still dealing with the trauma of the tragedy that claimed the life of its franchise icon.
"I think everybody was emotional tonight," said James, who played in two Olympics alongside Bryant and passed him on the NBA's all-time scoring list the night before his death. "We all have our individual reasons why emotion hits us, and then we all have this brotherhood and this family, being a part of this Laker organization, which automatically brings in even more emotion."
LeBron James (24), center, puts his arm around Los Angeles Lakers teammate Quinn Cook as they wipe their faces of tears while watching a video tribute to the late Kobe Bryant before Friday night's home game against the Portland Trail Blazers. / AP photo by Kelvin KuoBoth teams stood on the court during a poignant pregame tribute to Bryant that included songs, Kobe highlights and James' speech, which captivated the arena.
"So in the words of Kobe Bryant, 'Mamba out,'" James told the crowd. "But in the words of us, 'Not forgotten.' Live on, brother."
Highlights of Bryant's career played during every break, but Lillard put on a show between the whistles. His seven 3-pointers gave him 40 in his past five games, setting an NBA record, but even the Blazers star knew results were secondary on this unique evening.
"I don't feel like anybody feels like we walked away as a winner tonight, given the circumstances," Lillard said. "The memories that we'll take away from it was just sad and just tough. It's good that we had to compete, so being on the winning side is a positive, but I don't think anybody walks away from this moment and this situation a winner."
Anthony Davis had 37 points and 15 rebounds, and James added 22 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as he and the Lakers played for the first time since the previous Saturday, when he became the league's No. 3 all-time scorer during a loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia, Bryant's hometown.
Hassan Whiteside scored 30 points and C.J. McCollum added 19 for the Blazers, who were playing their third game since Bryant's death, which seems to have affected practically everyone who picked up a basketball in the past quarter-century.
"We've had five days and two games to kind of understand the emotions that were going to be out there," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "I know it was a tough game for the Lakers, watching them during the tribute, during LeBron's talk. I thought it was a difficult game for them to play. I mean, it was difficult for both teams, but I think we've had some time to go through the grieving process."
The entire evening was likely both profoundly painful and cathartic for anyone who loves the Lakers or Bryant, who won five championships while playing his entire 20-year NBA career in purple and gold.
Bryant retired in 2016, but he remained a face of his only franchise and an inspiration to the current players, who learned about his death on their flight home from an East Coast road trip. Their next scheduled game - against the in-town rival Clippers this past Tuesday - was postponed, and the entire franchise persevered through a brutal week of coping with the loss.
"We understood this was going to be a difficult one," said Lakers coach Frank Vogel, who used all 13 players on the roster to give them a chance to contribute in this game. "We didn't want to lose, but this week has been more about life than basketball. We've got to continue to focus on the work. There's therapy in the work."
Several Lakers teared up during the ceremony, as did the Blazers - but after both teams took 24-second and 8-second violations off the opening tip as a tribute to Bryant's jersey numbers, they lifted the heavy moment with grace.
Davis began the game with red eyes but managed to score 18 points in the first quarter alone. The Lakers committed 13 turnovers in the first half while playing with an obvious surfeit of energy.
Lillard, the gifted California native, went wild in the third quarter, scoring 23 points and hitting six 3-pointers in a virtuoso display of offensive skill. The Lakers then trailed by 12 in the fourth quarter before a "Kobe! Kobe!" chant broke out. They promptly made a 9-0 run, but the Blazers stayed steadily ahead.
The pregame ceremony began in a darkened arena with Usher singing "Amazing Grace." Staples Center then showed a video of Bryant's highlights narrated by his own voice as cellist Ben Hong from the Los Angeles Philharmonic played Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James speaks about Kobe Bryant during a ceremony before Friday night's home game against the Portland Trail Blazers. / AP photo by Ringo H.W. ChiuThen James took the microphone. The three-time NBA champion and four-time league MVP joined the Lakers in 2018, and he spoke to Bryant several hours before the crash when he congratulated him on moving up the career scoring list.
James read the names of the victims - ending with Bryant - said he had remarks prepared and pulled a piece of paper from his sweatpants.
He tossed it to the floor.
"Laker Nation, I would be selling you short if I read off this (expletive), so I'm going to go straight from the heart," he said. "The first thing comes to mind is all about family. As I look around this arena, we're all breathing, hurt and heartbroken. The best thing you can do is lean on the shoulders of your family."
He recalled watching Bryant from afar before joining the NBA out of high school, like Bryant did.
"Kobe is a brother to me," James said. "The one thing we always shared was that determination to just want to win. I want to continue his legacy, not just this year but as long as we continue to play basketball."
James noted there will be a memorial at some point for Bryant.
"I look at this as a celebration tonight," he said.
Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter introduced each of the Lakers' five starters as Kobe Bryant, drawing tears and cheers from the sellout crowd.
Quinn Cook, who idolized Bryant, was visibly affected by the ceremony. He checked into the contest for Los Angeles in the second quarter wearing his new No. 28 jersey, which represents Gianna (2) - Vanessa and Kobe's second-oldest of four daughters, nicknamed Gigi, had her own aspirations of a basketball career - and Kobe (8).
Portland's Carmelo Anthony, who was close friends with Bryant, missed the game for what the Blazers called personal reasons.
All-Star tributes
As part of what will be a long series of tributes to Bryant and Gianna, the NBA announced Friday that at the All-Star Game in Chicago on Sunday, Feb. 16, every player on Team Giannis will wear No. 24 on their jerseys and every player on Team LeBron will wear No. 2.
All players taking part in All-Star weekend - including the Rising Stars game on Friday and the Saturday night events such as the 3-point contest, slam dunk contest and skills competition - will wear a patch with nine stars to commemorate all of the victims of the helicopter crash.
The patches for Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 will also bear the numbers 2 and 24. The patches for the All-Star Game will be slightly different, showing only the nine stars.
The patches will pay tribute to John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli; Sarah and Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan, in addition to the Bryants. The group was on its way to a basketball tournament where Gianna was scheduled to be playing when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and James, the captains for the games as the leading vote recipients, will pick their teams this Thursday.