Los Angeles (AFP)
Do not be overwhelmed by "negative emotions": the Los Angeles Lakers find their floor of the Staples Center Friday (Saturday 03:30 GMT) against the Portland Blazers, five days after the tragic accidental death of Kobe Bryant.
"The most important thing is that there are no negative emotions," Lakers coach Frank Vogel warned Friday hours before the game.
Tears are no less likely to fall on the floor and in the stands of the Staples Center, commonly known as "the house built by Bryant", after the shock caused by the death of the legend of the Lakers, those of his daughter Gianna and seven others on Sunday in a helicopter accident.
"We feel that the match is secondary". "Tonight is for Kobe Bryant," said Blazers coach Terry Stotts on Friday morning after training his team.
Blazers star Carmelo Anthony did not make the trip to California. Friend of Bryant, with whom he won the gold medal at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, he is "not ready" to appear at the Staples Center, explained his teammate Damian Lillard to USA Today.
Kobe Bryant, who will remain as one of the greatest NBA stars of all time, evolved for 20 years in the Lakers, with which he won five NBA champion titles, becoming one of the seven players to have registered more than 30,000 points during his career.
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