Lakers return to action for first game since helicopter crashRoses adorned courtside seats where Kobe and Gianna satLeBron scores 22 points in team’s 127-119 loss to Trail BlazersLeBron James has only been a part of the
Los Angeles Lakers for 19 months. The West Coast is a late stop on an
NBA odyssey that already yielded rings, trophies and innumerable indelible moments in Cleveland and Miami.

Yet when this venerated franchise needed a leader to honor a legend during one of the most traumatic times in its history, James took the microphone and stood alone in a golden spotlight at Staples Center on Friday night.