Perry meets Waters in all-English quarter-final By Squash Mad Correspondents
Top seed Nour El Tayeb was pushed all the way by Sabrina Sobhy before battling back to reach the quarter-finals of the Cleveland Classic.
It was a dramatic, competitive encounter in which Sobhy displayed how much her game has improved after setting up a training base in Egypt to practise with the world’s best.
Leading two games to one she must have sensed a major upset was on the cards but El Tayeb, who was runner-up in the Weymuller Open at Heights Casino last week, fought back to take control and win 8-11, 11-3, 6-11, 11-5, 11-9 despite requiring a 15-minute injury break.
Farida Mohamed (EGY) v Salma Hany (EGY) 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-4 Salma could not find her natural length and accuracy. The young Farida got to implement her game plan of hard hitting and high pace to beat the No.7 seed and make the first upset of the night.
Joshna Chinappa (IND) v Menna Nasser (EGY) 12-10, 3-0 retired After the first very competitive game, Menna had an injury and had to retire.
Annie Au (HKG) v Nadine Shahin (EGY) 11-7, 11-7, 11-6 Annie Au managed to keep the match at a slow pace, anticipating Nadine’s shots with fast movement and accuracy in the front of the court.
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v Menna Hamed (EGY) 11-7, 11-7, 11-8 SJ used good line and length, moved her opponent into and out of the corners with good hold and touch. Menna’s game plan was aggressive, but she could not find her accuracy.
[6] Alison Waters (ENG) v Mayar Hany (EGY) 18-16, 11-3, 11-3 A very long and competitive first game, with a lot of variety in shots and pace. Alison used her physicality to win in three straight games. Her win sets up an all-English quarter-final against Perry.
Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA)v Victoria Lust (ENG) 11-7, 12-10, 11-7 A very competitive match between two players ranked two positions apart. Very close match all the way through. Olivia managed the important stages of the match better.
Joelle King (NZL) v Hollie Naughton (CAN) 11-5, 11-7, 11-4 Hollie put up a good fight, especially in the first game. Joelle was in control and kept her pace and variety of shots to win in three.
Camille Serme was on top form at the ToC in New York
ToC title sparks Serme’s rise up the rankings By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent
France’s Camille Serme has moved back into the top three of the PSA Women’s World Rankings for February after her title victory at last month’s J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions.
Serme beat reigning World Champion Nour El Sherbini in New York’s Grand Central Terminal to win her first major PSA World Tour title in three years and that has seen her move up two places to break the top three for the first time since September 2019.
En route to the final, Serme beat World No.1 Raneem El Welily – who retains top spot for a 14th successive month – and Nouran Gohar, but Gohar avenged that defeat a week later as she overcame Serme before downing Nour El Tayeb to win the Carol Weymuller Open.
As a result, Gohar rises to World No.2, with El Sherbini and El Tayeb dropping to No.4 and No.5, respectively.
Kiwi Joelle King stays at No.6, while England’s Sarah-Jane Perry swaps places with America’s Amanda Sobhy as she rises a place to No.7. Tesni Evans stays at No.9, with Hania El Hammamy completing the top 10.
Annie Au and Joshna Chinappa remain at No.11 and No.12, respectively, while Salma Hany rises a spot to No.13 as Alison Waters falls the other way to No.14. Victoria Lust takes the last spot inside the top 15.
Yathreb Adel (No.16), Olivia Blatchford Clyne (No.17) and Nele Gilis (No.18) retain their spots, while Nadine Shahin moves up a place to No.19. Two-time World Junior Champion Rowan Elaraby moves up a spot to reach a joint career-high ranking of No.20.
The biggest risers in the women’s rankings are 15-year-old Torrie Malik from England and Egypt’s Salma El Alfy, who both move up 26 places to No.139 and No.193, respectively.
PSA Women’s World Rankings Top 20 – February 2020.
Mohamed ElShorbagy has held the number one spot for 41 months, the fifth best record in squash history
‘I have worked hard, stayed hungry and it’s amazing to be back at number one’ says ElShorbagy By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent
Egypt’s Mohamed ElShorbagy has claimed top spot on the PSA Men’s World Rankings for the fourth time after he overtook compatriot Ali Farag today to return to World No.1.
ElShorbagy relinquished the World No.1 ranking to Farag when he lost to him in the final of last year’s J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions.
However, the 29-year-old returned to the scene of that defeat last month and made amends with victory over World Champion Tarek Momen underneath the chandeliers of Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall to once again take the World No.1 mantle.
ElShorbagy is the fifth longest-serving male World No.1 of all time, with his 41 months atop the rankings only bettered by Jansher Khan, Jahangir Khan, Peter Nicol and Geoff Hunt.
“It means a lot getting back there again at the top,” said ElShorbagy. “I have worked really hard in the off season for this moment to happen again in my career, and to experience it another time feels amazing. I have just stayed hungry and motivated and I’m always working on my game. Six years ago my game was so different than now and each year I have been making some changes to my game and trying to stay healthy and fit to keep that kind of consistency.
“The aim is always to be the best player in the world. Every player at the top tries to reach that target, so I am aware of the players behind me working very hard to try and achieve that, which makes it interesting and challenging at the top. But I have my goals and I want to try and keep this consistency going, which is always challenging.”
Farag drops down to No.2 for the first time since February 2019, while the rest of the top five – featuring Momen, former World No.1 Karim Abdel Gawad and World Championship runner-up Paul Coll – is unchanged.
Germany’s Simon Rösner rises a spot to No.6, swapping places with Peru’s Diego Elias, while Marwan ElShorbagy (No.8), Mohamed Abouelghar (No.9) and Miguel Rodriguez make up the rest of the top 10.
Welshman Joel Makin rises a spot to a career-high No.11 ranking, with Fares Dessouky dropping down to No.12. Saurav Ghosal stays at No.13, while Gregoire Marche and Zahed Salem retain their respective rankings of No.14 and No.15.
Mazen Hesham rises a place to No.16 – his highest ranking since January 2016 – as fellow Egyptian Omar Mosaad falls to No.17.
James Willstrop stays at No.18, ahead of Mostafa Asal, who rises two places to reach a career-high ranking of No.19. Adrian Waller rounds off the top 20.
French veteran Gregory Gaultier is the biggest mover in the men’s rankings. The former World No.1 returned to PSA action at the Tournament of Champions after 15 months on the sidelines due to a knee injury, beating Mosaad as he reached round three, before finally falling to Asal. The 37-year-old moves up 413 places to World No.130.
Another veteran of the game also enjoyed a big increase in his ranking as 37-year-old Alister Walker from Botswana rose 167 places to No.297. Walker, a former World No.12, was making his first PSA appearance in three months at the Pittsburgh Open and he now sits at his highest ranking since May 2019.
Eddie Jones says England want to put France's dangerous backs "in a box" and make them experience pressure "they have never felt before" when the sides meet in the Six Nations on Sunday.
France have picked an explosive set of three-quarters for the Paris showdown, with Racing 92's Virimi Vakatawa among those in sparkling form.
But England's coach has vowed to make it an uncomfortable game for the hosts.
"We want to make sure we keep turning them around," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"We want to put them in a box and make it hard for them to get quick ball, put pressure on them, and make them experience pressure like they have never felt before."
Jones has selected the bulk of the side that lost the Rugby World Cup final in November, with prop Joe Marler, lock Charlie Ewels and rookie full-back George Furbank the only players who did not start against South Africa in Yokohama.
Earlier in the week Jones warned about the 'curse' of the beaten World Cup finalists, and has set England the lofty ambition of being the greatest team in rugby history; an "exciting challenge", according to captain Owen Farrell.
Conversely France are vastly less experienced, with lock Bernard Le Roux the only 30-year-old in the squad and centre Gael Fickou the only man with more than 50 caps.
But while the tight five is raw, a number of the backline - Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, Fickou, Vakatawa and Damian Penaud - started the narrow Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat by Wales in Oita.
"It's interesting but very traditional in a lot of ways. It's a big, heavy tight five, an athletic back row, nine and 10 as distributors and running outside backs," Jones added.
"While there might not be many caps to their name, it's a very traditional French team."
'Expect a ferocious battle'
Jones said earlier in the week that England would bring "brutal physicality" to Paris, but France coach Fabien Galthie has promised his side "have a plan" to deal with the visitors.
"Expect a ferocious battle to win the ball," Galthie said. "Expect my players to stand their ground with ferocious tackles and collisions. They will play with passion and go beyond their limits."
Jones has operated a shortened training camp before the tournament, mindful of the workload on his players following the World Cup, and admits the players are not at their physical peak.
"We decided to get the players in later given we are coming back from a World Cup," Jones explained.
"A lot of the players have been back into club rugby so we have had a look at what they need. We won't be physically at our best on Sunday but we will be good enough."
Captain Farrell says England must "expect the unexpected" at the Stade de France, mindful of the French threat.
"What comes with that is a load of concentration, and making sure we are engaged for 80 minutes," Farrell said.
"There is no bigger game for us than the first one. It's a brilliant opportunity for us."
Ireland's new head coach Andy Farrell has selected Conor Murray alongside new captain Johnny Sexton for Saturday's Six Nations match in Dublin.
Full-back Jordan Larmour has overcome a foot injury, while number eight Caelen Doris will earn his first cap.
Number eight Nick Haining makes his Scotland debut and prop Rory Sutherland his first start since 2016.
Adam Hastings replaces fly-half Finn Russell, who has been disciplined for a breach of discipline.
View from both camps
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell: "We've got a hell of a team going into Scotland. We want to win but at the same time we want to develop our game and keep on improving.
"Certain aspects will take a little bit of time but at the same time we expect to perform."
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend: "Playing to our potential starts with our collective mindset. That means being alert, focused and resilient right from the beginning, to be ready for the physical battle that lies ahead and able to stay in the fight throughout the 80 minutes.
"We must be a relentless collective on the pitch and a nightmare for the Irish to deal with, while having the ability and awareness to impose our game at that intensity."
Coaches both have points to prove - BBC pundits
Former Ireland back Shane Horgan: "I think Andy Farrell has something to prove. He was the continuity appointment, maintaining Joe Schmidt's legacy. But then 2019 happened for Ireland - a disastrous Six Nations and World Cup and all of a sudden he has had to pivot away from Joe. Now there is a demand in the country that there is a change in direction. If Ireland make the top three, I think they'd be happy.
Former Scotland scrum-half Andy Nicol: "Gregor Townsend is under an awful lot of pressure and Finn Russell was the last thing Scotland needed after a disappointing World Cup. Stuart Hogg being announced as captain was really positive for everyone because he's Scotland's best player and he's passionate about Scotland, then the whole Russell affair started. It's knocked Scotland massively - everyone's talking about it. It was the right call because it was the only call."
But Pivac has long been immersed in the Welsh game with the Scarlets and while there are key players missing, such as Gareth Anscombe, Liam Williams and most recently Josh Navidi, there is enough continuity and talent to ensure a smooth transition.
Italy are in a state of flux with South African Franco Smith stepping in as interim coach after the resignation of Conor O'Shea and they are also now - barring a ceremonial farewell - without the inspirational Sergio Parisse.
There may be some signs of life from Italy's clubs, most notably Benetton, but it is hard to see beyond a handsome Wales win to start their title defence.
View from both camps
Wales head coach Wayne Pivac on debutant Johnny McNicholl: "Johnny McNicholl is a player we know a lot about. I have worked with him for a number of years now and he had a good run-out with us against the Barbarians. He has trained well during the week so has got the start.
"George North has played a couple of games in the centre for Ospreys and has had four starts for Wales so it is not foreign to him. George has trained well and taken the challenge up and is looking forward to a fresh start."
Italy interim head coach Franco Smith: "We have worked hard on and off the pitch to build synergy between the staff and the players. We know our potential and what we can give. I have faith in the team and can't wait to see them on the pitch against Wales."
New Zealand are in Kane Williamson territory in Tauranga, but he could just rest his left shoulder with the series already lost. Two back-to-back losses in the fashion they did have raised questions of their finishing abilities, 'chokers' to some if social media is a barometer. They're currently in the kind of space that they'll gladly take a win, however it comes.
Colin Munro's return to form makes it one headache less and he walks into a venue where he has two hundreds and a century in five innings at an average of 61.40 and strike rate of 193. But New Zealand's recent dip in form, including the Australia whitewash, remains a larger worry constantly fighting to remain in public memory.
Spirit of Cricket - like their juniors were lauded for at the Under-19 World Cup - is fine, it's also time to win. This message may not be explicitly written or told to them, but the players will know deep down that in a World Cup year, every opportunity counts.
Two weeks ago, India were playing in Bengaluru. Then having traversed several time zones to play in Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington in the space of five days, India are in Mount Maunganui. Camping here for three days should give them as much joy as they've derived from winning back-to-back Super Over thrillers.
India's uninhibited approach to a T20 innings is a refreshing change. Batsmen aren't worried about preserving their wickets, the team is open to being flexible, Virat Kohli has no problems batting out of position and KL Rahul keeping wickets lends better balance. Manish Pandey, who struggled to break into the first XI earlier, is a beneficiary of this change.
Injuries to their frontline fast bowlers in the format - Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar - have pushed them to test their reserves, and the replacements have all delivered at some stage. Shardul Thakur, for example, has proven to not just be a swing option but also a death-bowling option. His hitting doesn't quite make the lower order seem brittle anymore.
Navdeep Saini gives them bristling pace, Jasprit Bumrah the consistency. Shivam Dude is also getting into the rhythm of bowling regularly, thereby accruing valuable experience that should help him should he be on the flight to Australia for the T20 World Cup. The result of the bowling rejig has meant one of their wristspinners, mostly Kuldeep Yadav, has had to sit out. The team management may as well give him a go come Sunday.
Form guide
New Zealand LLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first) India WWWWW
In the spotlight
Sanju Samson is a fine white-ball striker but desperately needs a score to back his ability. With Shikhar Dhawan likely to be slotted back into the squad as soon as he's fit, Sunday could be Samson's final opportunity at making amends.
Tim Seifert's half-century that complemented Munro's in Wellington went unnoticed because of the frenzied finish. He strikes at 137 in 24 T20Is, enough indication of his hitting abilities. New Zealand will want him to finish off games with the bat as the next part of his learning. With the gloves, he's proven to be as tidy as they come.
Team news
Whatever written here can only be speculative, because Saturday was a travel day, with no training session or press conferences to provide any markers. Rishabh Pant is yet to get a game, so there is a case for the team management to bring him in and rest Rahul. If Kohli chooses to rest, it could mean Rohit comes back to lead. And if they want to bring in Kuldeep Yadav, it could be at Yuzvendra Chahal's expense. India (likely): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Sanju Samson, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Rishabh Pant, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Navdeep Saini, 11 Jasprit Bumrah
Martin Guptill didn't come out to bat in Friday's Super Over because of a collision with Scott Kuggleijn on the field. Williamson's status isn't yet clear. However, New Zealand may want to rest him with an eye on the ODI series to follow.
New Zealand: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Tim Seifert (wk), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Bruce, 6 Daryl Mitchell, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Hamish Bennett, 11 Scott Kuggleijn
Pitch and conditions
The town is built around a hill and wind patterns aid swing. It could be hard for bowlers running against the breeze, but the surface is largely one with true bounce and good carry.
Pitch and conditions
The town is built around a hill and wind patterns aid swing. It could be hard for bowlers running against the breeze, but the surface is largely one with true bounce and good carry. It should be full of runs.
Stats and trivia
The average first innings score in the five games that have produced a result at Bay Oval is 199
New Zealand's dot-ball percentage at the death has been 34. India have scored significantly faster, and have a dot-ball percentage of just 25 in the same period
The team batting first has won each of the five games here
India's Test squad for the two-match Test series in New Zealand is yet to be announced, but the BCCI has already ruled out allrounder Hardik Pandya. In a media release that threw up more questions than answers, the BCCI said that Pandya hasn't regained full fitness yet, having undergone a back surgery in October 2019. As such, no time frame as been set for his return.
The media release, which was issued on Saturday and signed by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, is curious because India's Test squad has not been announced yet. So how is Pandya ruled out?
According to the BCCI statement, Pandya had recently travelled to London to review his back again. The seriousness of the case could be gauged by the fact that the player was accompanied by Ashish Kaushik, the head physiotherapist at the National Cricket Academy, where Pandya will now undergo his rehab.
"Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the upcoming Test series against New Zealand," the BCCI release said. "He travelled to London and was accompanied by NCA Head Physio Ashish Kaushik for a review by spinal surgeon Dr James Allibone. Hardik will be under rehab at the National Cricket Academy until he regains full match fitness."
After undergoing surgery last October, Pandya was optimistic of returning to action during the New Zealand tour which comprises five T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests. On December 23, the Indian selection panel, led by former wicketkeeper MSK Prasad, had named Pandya in the India A squad that would play three one-dayers against New Zealand A prior to the T20I leg of the tour.
However, on January 12, Pandya was pulled out of the T20I squad as his "rehabilitation was longer than expected," according to the BCCI.
Ever since he made his international debut in 2016, Pandya has been a key member of India's limited-overs sides, developing into an impact allrounder. With two T20 World Cups set to be played in the next two years, the BCCI is opting to take precautions instead of rushing Pandya back into action.
That is what S Rajnikanth, Pandya's personal trainer, had told the BCCI when the allrounder was working with him before the board decided to send him to the NCA.According to Rajnikanth Pandya was fully fit physically, but not match fit to handle the bowling workload specifically.
That sentiment was echoed by Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI president, earlier this week, after he had met Rahul Dravid, the director of cricket at the NCA. "He's not fit yet," Ganguly told PTI. Asked whether Pandya would play the Ranji Trophy for Baroda (his state team) before returning to the national side, Ganguly ruled that and said that "he'll take a bit of time to get fit."
Antonio Brown on Friday expressed remorse for a series of missteps he made both on and off the field in the past year.
In a wide-ranging interview with ESPN's Josina Anderson, the star wide receiver faulted himself for many of the issues that have kept him out of the NFL since September.
"I think I owe the whole NFL an apology and my past behavior," Brown told Anderson. "I think I could have done a lot of things better."
Brown spoke two days after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league's No. 1 concern is Brown's well-being, not his potential return to the league.
In January alone, Brown was arrested and charged with felony burglary with battery, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and criminal mischief stemming from an incident with a moving truck driver in Hollywood, Florida, and he verbally abused members of the Hollywood Police Department after they responded to a separate domestic disturbance at his home.
"I was pleased to hear that after 140 days that there was some positivity about me because as of late I've just been the cancer of the NFL," Brown said, referencing Goodell's comments at his state-of-the-league address Wednesday. "The problem child, the guy who gets in trouble, the kind of guy who has the bad narrative about him."
Asked whether he believed Goodell, Brown told Anderson: "I'll believe it when we see it."
Asked whether he needs mental health help, Brown added: "We all need mental help."
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1:37
Brown addresses recent post involving his children
Antonio Brown goes into detail about his recent personal struggles and how they have affected his relationship with his children.
Brown was one of the NFL's top wide receivers during his nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was traded to the Oakland Raiders last year, but after several off-the-field incidents, he was released before playing a regular-season game.
He then signed with the New England Patriots, but just days into his stint there, his former trainer, Britney Taylor, filed a civil lawsuit in Florida, accusing him of sexually assaulting her on three occasions in 2017 and 2018. When allegations of sexual misconduct from another woman surfaced soon after that, the Patriots released him, and he has been out of football since.
Asked about the allegations, Brown, 31, said he would let the courts "handle that stuff," but later added that in some cases he has been targeted by women who have accused him of wrongdoing.
"I feel like I never really got in a conflict with no woman," Brown told Anderson. "I just feel like I'm a target so, anybody can come against me and say anything [that] I have to face. There's no support, there's no egos, there's no rules in it, anyone can come after me for anything. No proof or whatever. 'He said, she's saying.'
"The media will run with it, so even if I'm not guilty, I already guilty because they already wrote it, put it on TV and put that in people minds. So for me to have to sit here and hear those the allegations of me is just unfair to me every time."
The NFL, meanwhile, continues to investigate Brown over the accusations.
The receiver was asked about his meeting with the league in November and what he tried to get across to Goodell.
"That we're not hiding from anything," he told Anderson. "We're here to follow the procedure, whatever protocol to get back on track and play, and that was their procedures and that's what I followed."
Brown said he was frustrated by the lack of resolution.
"Yeah, because one thing it does seem like when you're comparing this to other cases, it does seem like those other cases have been decided upon a lot quicker and this has extended into, we are now days away from the Super Bowl," he said.
Brown also was asked whether he had concerns about developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the brain disease caused by repeated head injuries. In a 2016 playoff game, Brown was knocked nearly unconscious by an infamous hit by then-Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
"Nah," he said, "if I had CTE I wouldn't be able to have this beautiful gym, I wouldn't be able to be creative. I wouldn't be able to communicate. He didn't hit me that hard. You know, I got up and walked off the field. We won the game. I was all right. You play the game long enough, everyone get hit hard."
LOS ANGELES -- There has never been an NBA game like the one that took place Friday at Staples Center between the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.
It has been five days since Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. With the Lakers requesting to postpone Tuesday's matchup with the LA Clippers, this was the Lakers' first opportunity to honor Bryant in their home arena.
Staples Center seats are empty four hours before tipoff, save for the nearly 19,000 Lakers T-shirts draped over each chair -- half with No. 24, half with No. 8. The house lights are down. At center court, one spotlight shines upon Los Angeles Philharmonic cellist Ben Hong, who, seated on a bench in a black shirt and pants, is rehearsing a beautiful rendition of "Hallelujah." Directly over him on the video board, a tribute to Bryant plays.
"Once upon a time, I was a young basketball player," Bryant begins, his voice carrying through the arena backed by the music.
High in the rafters, in the far corner where the Lakers' retired jerseys hang, Bryant's numbers are bathed in purple light. The scoreboards and shot clocks read 24.2 -- a nod to the numbers for Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
Ten minutes later, "Ko-be!" chants build outside in the heart of L.A. Live, where thousands are gathered. The air is perfumed with scented candles that have been burning since the crash Sunday.
Everywhere you step, there's a message written for Bryant. The space is crowded, but strangers apologize if they bump into one another. They share stories about watching Bryant play. On the LED screens is a photo of Bryant and Gianna smiling from a front-row seat at a basketball game. The text reads, "Rest In Peace Kobe & Gianna Bryant," along with the names of the seven others who died in the helicopter crash: John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan.
Inside the arena, preparation continues.
Two hours before the scheduled tipoff, a team official walks toward two unoccupied courtside seats directly opposite the Lakers' bench and drapes Bryant's No. 24 Lakers uniform over one and Gianna's No. 2 Mamba Academy jersey over the other. Another official tells a pair of nearby security guards that they are not to leave their posts unless someone relieves them.
Kobe and Gianna last sat in those seats on Dec. 30, when the Lakers hosted the Dallas Mavericks and Bryant trash-talked Luka Doncic in Slovenian. Along with the jerseys, a team official places a bouquet of red roses in each seat.
Soon after, a large media contingent moves toward a cavernous conference room in the bowels of the arena, a space that is usually reserved for news conferences during the playoffs.
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel emerges and addresses the crowd, wearing a black "KB" lapel pin on his shirt and a pair of Kobe's signature sneakers. Looking on as Vogel speaks is Lakers VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka, Bryant's former agent and Gianna's godfather. His face looks worn and heavy, on the verge of tears.
Pelinka stands there for only a beat while Vogel talks. Then he disappears into a back room.
Back on the court, as players continue to warm up, more media members, team officials and league execs gather around the court. Many hugs are exchanged, as are Kobe Bryant stories, including this one from Joe Rogowski.
Back in the summer of 2008, Rogowski, then the Orlando Magic's head strength and conditioning coach, received a call from the team's general manager saying a player wanted to use the weight room at 6 a.m. the next day. Could Rogowski let him in?
Rogowski was surprised. It was the Fourth of July, and he was on vacation.
The next morning, he arrived at the facility, and there was Bryant, on vacation with his family but wanting to get a workout in before visiting theme parks with his wife and daughters. Bryant, who was coming off an NBA Finals loss to the Boston Celtics, engaged in a rigorous, one-hour weightlifting session and an hourlong shooting routine. He thanked Rogowski and asked if he could come in the next three days. Rogowski said yes, of course.
Afterward, Bryant sent Rogowski several pairs of sneakers and greeted him by name whenever they crossed paths. The next summer, Rogowski's Magic met Bryant and the Lakers in the Finals -- and Bryant won, capturing his fourth NBA title.
"Hey, Bryant put in the work, as always," Rogowski thought. "He earned it."
With tipoff nearing, Lakers center JaVale McGee starts playfully passing a ball back-and-forth with fans in the stands on both sides of the court. Cheers and laughter ring out.
After the musical tributes, the microphone belongs to Lawrence Tanter, who is in his 37th season as the Lakers' public address announcer.
Tanter's rock-solid baritone is as reliable as Los Angeles sunshine. But as his voice carries through the arena speaking of the "unthinkable tragedy" that claimed nine lives on Sunday, something happens. Tanter's voice starts breaking subtly, as if something is slightly off. For anyone who has attended Lakers home games over the years, the rarity of the moment is unmistakable.
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2:28
Lakers remember nine victims with 24.2 seconds of silence
The Lakers honor the nine victims of the helicopter crash with a 24.2-second moment of silence.
During a timeout about six minutes into the first quarter, Lon Rosen embraces Pelinka just off to the side of the court. Rosen is Magic Johnson's longtime agent.
Until Sunday, no moment had shaken the Lakers and the NBA as much as the November 1991 announcement that Johnson had tested positive for HIV. But Johnson survived, and Bryant, suddenly, is gone, marking a hard line between the two events.
During the break, Rosen places both hands on Pelinka's shoulders, pulling him close while he speaks in Pelinka's ear for several moments. The two men are now bonded in a way that only they can know.
As Rosen speaks, Pelinka nods, his gaze toward the ground, seemingly at the edge of tears the entire time. Later in the quarter, Pelinka returns to a seat near the tunnel behind the Lakers bench. He grasps both his arms tightly around his young daughter, Emery, and sits her atop his lap.
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2:40
LeBron, AD combine for 59 points after Lakers honor Kobe
Following the Lakers' ceremony to honor Kobe Bryant and the eight other crash victims, Anthony Davis goes for 37 and LeBron James drops 22 for the Lakers in a loss to the Blazers.
Lakers guard Quinn Cook returns to the court well after the loss to shoot. Lakers girls, wearing shirts bearing Bryant's numbers, depart the arena with bouquets of pink roses. As they march through the Staples Center hallways toward the loading dock, they walk beneath a large sign that typically lists which teams will be playing that night but instead reads: "REST IN PEACE KOBE AND GIGI."
Vogel again addresses the media. He played 13 players in the first half, tied for the most in a first half by any team the past 20 seasons. Vogel says he did so because the team is a family.
"We all shared this this week," Vogel says. "We were all on the plane hearing the news."
When asked what it will take for his team to move forward, Vogel pauses before answering.
"Time."
Back in the Lakers locker room, the mood is quiet. LeBron James dresses at the locker that used to be Bryant's. Above him hangs only one jersey: Kobe Bryant's No. 24.
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