Fans shinnied up a traffic-light post outside the luxury hotel where the Lakers stayed, hoping to get a glimpse of Kobe Bryant boarding the team bus among dozens and dozens of cordoned-off people.
It's true. Kobe Bryant was given the Michael Jordan treatment in the town where Jordan rules as an owner.
But he didn't have much success on the court, missing 15 of 20 shots, nine of 10 in the second half, as the Lakers lost to the Charlotte Hornets, 108-98.
It happened in front of 19,632 people Monday, the largest crowd ever for a regular-season game at Time Warner Cable Arena.