HONOLULU – The pleas began with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. The sellout crowd implored Kobe Bryant to return for one more stint Sunday against the Utah Jazz by chanting his name.
With six minutes left, the chants of “Kobe!” returned. As they reached their most cacophonous, a figure rose from the bench. It was... Tarik Black, called upon to replace Robert Sacre.
Bryant remained seated for the remainder of the Lakers preseason opener, a 90-71 loss to the Utah Jazz at the Stan Sheriff Center on campus at the University of Hawaii.