All eyes were on Kobe Bryant as he made his return to the NBA for a record-setting season, but Bryant and his Lakers teammates took time out to honor a member of the NBA fraternity who had died days earlier.
The Lakers joined the Timberwolves on Wednesday in wearing T-shirts with the word "Flip" as a tribute to Flip Saunders, the Wolves' late coach and team president.
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Saunders died Sunday of Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 60.
Wednesday's game was Bryant’s first since January when he suffered a season-ending torn rotator cuff. By beginning his 20th season with the Lakers, Bryant set an NBA record for most seasons played with one franchise, surpassing the record John Stockton set with the Jazz.