Heartsick scene as Los Angeles fans gathered ahead of Lakers' first game since Kobe Bryant's death
Others wore their Lakers jerseys, wrote messages on poster boards and observed piles of memorabilia and gifts on the ground outside, including shoes, photos, candles, flowers and basketballs.
By contrast, in baseball, the Angels in Anaheim and the Dodgers in L.A. haven’t won a championship since 2002 and 1988, respectively. The NFL’s Rams didn’t return to L.A. until 2016 — after 21 years without any NFL football in Los Angeles. The Kings in hockey won an NHL title in 2014 but don’t capture the public’s attention the way the Lakers do when they’re winning.
Before Kobe, Lakers legends Magic Johnson, 60, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 72, were among the few who might have occupied the same stratosphere in terms of success and tenure in Los Angeles. Perhaps that’s why news of Kobe’s death reminded some of Johnson’s shocking announcement in 1991 that he was retiring immediately because he had tested positive for HIV.
“I wish I could just hand this to Vanessa,” said Lisa Jackson, an artist who held a plaque made of clay depicting Bryant and his daughter. Jackson said she started making the piece when she found out about Bryant’s death Sunday.
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