The Los Angeles Lakers are continuing to work their way back into something that resembles a normal routine and continued that work on Thursday, with a practice ahead of Friday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, their first game since the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
For the second day in a row, the Lakers began practice in an unconventional way. After playing soccer yesterday on a field next to their practice facility, the players were on the field playing football and running routes against each other to prepare for a full day of work. Head coach Frank Vogel told reporters it was a simple idea, just to run around with some sunlight. Mark Medina of USA Today caught LeBron James and Anthony Davis trying to lighten the mood as well.
But while the Lakers continue to work their way to getting back into the flow of their season, they’re still not ready to talk with the media about the loss of Bryant. For the second day in a row, Frank Vogel was the only representative of the team to speak to the media, according to USA TODAY’s Mark Medina.
The Lakers may speak either at shootaround on Friday or after Friday night’s game. However, given the sensitivity for all involved, players still may wait a little while before making themselves available for questions from reporters.
