LOS ANGELES _ During the five long and painful days since learning of Kobe Bryant's death, the Lakers have had to confront a difficult question in the midst of their mourning:
How would they honor him in a way that pays proper respect to the legend's impact on the franchise, the city and the game of basketball as a whole?
Friday afternoon, hours before the Lakers play their first game since Bryant's death, at 7:30 p.m. against the Portland Trail Blazers, the answers began to be revealed.
The Lakers posted a photo on Twitter of a black circle with the letters "KB" inside of it displayed on the baseline at Staples Center, captioned "The House That Kobe Built." The Lakers' home gold uniforms will also feature a patch with the black "KB" logo.
Every fan who enters the building will receive a gold Bryant jersey T-shirt. One side of the arena will wear No. 8; the other will wear No. 24.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel said earlier Friday that he and his assistant coaches will wear Bryant's signature Nike sneakers.
LeBron James paid tribute to Bryant with a couple of images posted to his Instagram account. The second image shows his new tattoo honoring Kobe.
