Lakers prepare for 1st game after Bryant's death

Before the Los Angeles Lakers practiced on the final day before their first game since Kobe Bryant's death, the players, coaching staff and general manager Rob Pelinka took to the park across the street from the team's headquarters to kick around a soccer ball and throw a football.

The sight of the basketball team straining to make saves in goal or loping underneath LeBron James' 30-yard passes brought smiles and laughter to fans walking by. The excursion also seemed to lift the spirits of the players, who got a little respite from a rough week.

The Lakers will return to the court on Friday night at Staples Center to face the Portland Trail Blazers in their first game since Bryant's death along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven more in a helicopter crash on Sunday. The Lakers will hold a pregame tribute to the Bryants and the other victims, although the franchise wants the details kept private until game time.

"I would imagine it probably makes it a little harder than an ordinary game with all the emotions and that stuff, but we shouldn't do it any other way," Coach Frank Vogel said."It's the right thing to do, and important night for our franchise and for Laker Nation."Bryant retired in 2016 after a 20-year career with the Lakers. He remained a franchise icon and kept close connections to many team employees.

(Image Credit: AP)