Fans at Staples Center might be getting kind of used to seeing Kobe Bryant hanging out in street clothes. Since announcing his impending retirement back in November, the Lakers superstar has sat out 10 of the team’s 25 home games.
It was more of the same Wednesday night at Staples -- well, there were a few differences. A Kings hockey game, rather than a Lakers basketball game, was taking place. Bryant was in attendance with his wife, Vanessa.
And they received the ultimate thrill of appearing on the Kiss Cam.
After a sweet peck on the lips from his wife of nearly 15 years, Bryant gave a smile and a wave to the crowd before the camera moved on to its next victims.
As if that wasn’t enough excitement for one evening, the five-time NBA champion also received an autograph from Kings mascot Bailey ... when the self-proclaimed world’s sassiest lion (it’s in his Twitter bio) was able to squeeze him in.
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And the Bryants got to see a thrilling Kings win, 4-3 in overtime over the Washington Capitals.
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Kobe Bryant with fiancee Vanessa Laine at the New Year’s Eve party hosted by Shaquille O’Neal at the Staples Center, Los Angeles on Dec. 31, 2000. (Ann Johansson / For The Times)
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Kobe Bryant and Vanessa Laine were married April 18, 2001. Later that year, the couple celebrated the Lakers’ NBA championship with a parade through the streets of downtown Los Angeles. (Anacleto Rapping / Los Angeles Times)
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Two years after the marriage, Kobe Bryant was accused of sexually assaulting a Colorado woman. During a news conference on July 18, 2003, Kobe Bryant admitted to adultery but denied the accusation. Vanessa Bryant stood by his side. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
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Vanessa Bryant’s $4-million, eight-carat purple diamond ring given to her by Kobe Bryant after it was revealed he had not been faithful. Vanessa Bryant showed it off at the Teen Choice Awards. (E.J. Flynn / AP)
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Kobe Bryant displays a tattoo he describes as a tribute to wife, Vanessa, in October 2003. (Douglas C. Pizac / AP)
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Kobe and Vanessa Bryant at the MTV Movie Awards at Sony Pictures Studios on June 5, 2004. (Frank Micelotta / Getty Images)
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Five years after they were married, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant were expecting their second child. Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant was born May 1, 2006. (Vince Bucci / Getty Images for Bodog.Com)
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Vanessa Bryant and her daughters wave to Kobe Bryant during the 2010 NBA All-Star game at Staples Center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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In June, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant, right, listen to homeless youth tell their stories before announcing the official formation of the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of youth and families in need. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant is gifted a passel of balloons as his daughter Gianna, right, wife Vanessa and daughter Natalia join him for a ceremony celebrating his passing of Michael Jordan as the third leading scorer in NBA history before a game against the OKC Thunder at Staples Center on Dec. 19, 2014. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant kisses wife Vanessa soon after leading the Lakers to a 101-96 win over the Utah Jazz while scoring 60 points in his last game as a Laker. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant kisses his wife Vanessa after his last game at Staples Center on April 13, 2016. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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An 18-year-old Vanessa Laine at a Lakers game in June 2000. At the time, she was Kobe’s fiancee and a senior at Marina High in Huntington Beach. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
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Vanessa Bryant’s $4-million, eight-carat purple diamond ring given to her by Kobe Bryant after it was revealed he had not been faithful. Vanessa Bryant showed it off at the Teen Choice Awards. (E.J. Flynn / Associated Press)
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Kobe Bryant displays a tattoo he describes as a tribute to wife, Vanessa, in October 2003. (Douglas C. Pizac / Associated Press)
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Kobe and Vanessa Bryant at the MTV Movie Awards at Sony Pictures Studios on June 5, 2004.
(Frank Micelotta / Getty Images)
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Five years after they were married, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant were expecting their second child. Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant was born May 1, 2006. (Vince Bucci / Getty Images for Bodog.com)
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Vanessa Bryant and her daughters wave to Kobe Bryant during the 2010 NBA All-Star game at Staples Center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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In June, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant, right, listen to homeless youth tell their stories before announcing the official formation of the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of youth and families in need. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Chuck Schilken is a sports reporter on the Fast Break team. He spent more than 18 years with the Los Angeles Times’ Sports Department in a variety of roles. Before joining The Times, he worked for more than a decade as a sports reporter and editor at newspapers in Virginia and Maryland.
