LOS ANGELES _ Intent on creating their own identity, the Clippers usually cover the Lakers' banners and retired jersey numbers for their home games at Staples Center.
But for the Clippers' game against Sacramento on Thursday _ the first NBA contest to be played in the arena since the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people in a helicopter crash in Calabasas on Sunday _ the Clippers left Bryant's retired jerseys uncovered and on display high above the floor.
The rest of the Lakers' championship banners and retired jerseys were covered by the usual images of Clippers players and a city landscape but Bryant's 8 and 24 stood out on a stark black background.
A moment of silence is scheduled for just past 7:33 p.m.
The hockey Kings on Wednesday played the first sporting event at Staples Center after Bryant's death. Players honored him by wearing his jersey to the arena and commemorative decals on their helmets, and the team remembered him in a pregame ceremony.
