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LeBron James And The Lakers Find Moments Of Joy Amid Their Grief

The Lakers played with joy in their 129-102 win over San Antonio on Tuesday

Melissa Rohlin

With 8 minutes and 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter, LeBron James made his fifth three-pointer in a row over a 3 minute and 30 second stretch. 

The entire Lakers bench sprinted over to James as he sat on the court, smiling. Dozens of hands pulled him up, then everyone circled around him as he ran, until he broke loose. 

It was a moment of pure joy. 

"We were all excited," Anthony Davis said. "We was all saying ‘Heat check! Give him the ball!’ And he was looking for it, and guys were looking for him, the guys that was on the floor. He was able to make five and the timeout happened, and it wasn’t even planned. We all just took off and ran over there and just kind of jumped on him. Moments like that, it’s why we are the way we are." 

The Lakers lost themselves in celebration in their 129-102 win over San Antonio on Tuesday, marking a stark juxtaposition to the sadness that mired their first game at Staples Center on Friday after Kobe Bryant's death. 

Lakers' coach Frank Vogel said grief around Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others on Jan. 26, comes in waves. 

"With something like this, it always comes and goes," Vogel said. "I felt like the start of the game did not feel normal. It was extra quiet in there, almost like nobody really knew how to act. But I think when the flow of the game started going -- once the ball is in play, our guys and the coaches lock into what we're doing."

On Friday, players and fans teared up as Bryant's voice echoed through the arena in multiple video tributes. 

On Tuesday, there was a segment on the jumbotron with all of the players picking their celebrity lookalikes. Danny Green picked Lionel Richie, who happened to be at the game. Cameras put them side-by-side on the video board, as the crowd erupted in laughter. 

On Friday, the crowd chanted "Kobe" and "Gigi" many times throughout the game. 

On Tuesday, the crowd chanted "Taco Tuesday" and "MVP" for James. The crowd only chanted "Kobe" twice, near the end of the third quarter and at the end of the game. 

The Lakers, who were devastated after Bryant's death, are trying to move forward. And in the team's second game at Staples Center since the accident, there was a marked move towards normalcy.

"It's certainly going to take time and it's always going to be different, but it did feel more normal once the game got going," Vogel said. 

James was particularly broken after Bryant's death. He had idolized Bryant as a child and called it "a dream come true" to play alongside him at the Olympic Games in 2008 and 2012. They spoke on the phone hours before the helicopter crash, when Bryant called James to congratulate him for passing him for third on the all-time scorers list. 

Before Friday's game, James walked onto centercourt and spoke in front of 19,000 fans about how much Bryant meant to him. He  cried during the national anthem. 

Through his sadness, James has tried to find moments of happiness over the last couple of days. 

On Monday, he posted multiple videos to his Instagram story, including him dancing with his son Bryce, and him laughing at all three of his children as they danced and messed around while he sat in an ice bath. 

"I was laughing and joking around with my kids when I was in that cold tub," James said. "Then being able to come here, be here with my brothers. So anytime you’re going through anything, [you] gotta have trusted people you can lean on, gain strength and happiness. So I was doing that [Monday] as well, not just [Tuesday]."

The Lakers, who sit atop the Western Conference with a record of 38-11, have played with joy all season. 

And on Tuesday, despite their crushing sadness, they were able to tap into that emotion again.  

"That part of us is not going to change," Vogel said. "We're going to continue to enjoy each other and celebrate each other's accomplishments. It's part of our identity."

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Melissa Rohlin
MELISSA ROHLIN

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