EL SEGUNDO — It well might have been another night when Kobe Bryant was the biggest star in the building, occupying a courtside seat and a mega-watt smile.

Carmelo Anthony wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday afternoon that Bryant had called him and told him he intended to come to Friday’s game between the Lakers and Trail Blazers. Anthony had been looking forward to it, and Bryant’s previous two visits in Staples Center – alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna – had drawn standing ovations when their images flashed across the jumbotron.

Instead, Friday is going to be an emotionally steep climb back to basketball, where Bryant won’t be a guest, but will be mourned in an expected sell-out at Staples Center – the first game since the helicopter crash that killed Kobe, Gianna, and seven others on Sunday in Calabasas.

The Lakers are planning a tribute to the only player to have two numbers retired by one organization, but the details are being held back for now. The staggering task is a haunting shadow of when the Lakers retired Bryant’s jersey numbers in December of 2017 – no one imagined the organization and fans who cheered so loudly that night would be mourning his death so soon.

The Lakers set about Wednesday to encouraging fans to donate to MambaOnThree.org to benefit the families affected by the tragedy, including Vanessa Bryant and her surviving children; the family of John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli; the family of Sarah and Payton Chester; the family of Christina Mauser; and the family of pilot Ara Zobayan. They also asked fans who wished to support youth sports – the group died on their way to a youth basketball tournament – to donate at MambaSportsFoundation.org.

The grief of the Bryant family remained unfathomable on Thursday, but the Lakers gave small windows into how key officials – General Manager Rob Pelinka and team owner Jeanie Buss – were faring in the days after the tragedy. Both had spent time with the Bryant family since the incident, with team sources indicating that they were deep in sorrow.

Pelinka released a statement on Thursday afternoon through the Lakers, calling the loss of his best friend and goddaughter, “an amputation of part of my soul.” He called Kobe “the most inspirational athlete of our time,” referencing his keen passion and dedication. He said Gianna was “brilliant, kind and warm.”

While Pelinka acknowledged “an irreplaceable void” left behind by the crash, he also hoped their inspiration would continue to grow following Kobe’s and Gianna’s deaths.

“Their lives have shown me that death has no victory,” he said. “Last Sunday is not the end of the story. It’s just a new beginning. Kobe and Gigi’s legacies will live on – and gain even more power and influence. All of us touched by them will now try to become torch carriers of their legacies.”

Pelinka was present in El Segundo on Thursday, joining the team for a brief outdoor portion of practice where they warmed up, did agility training and slung a football around on the field across from their training facility, an excursion that appeared to lift the spirits of the players, who got a fun respite from a rough week.

“We are striking a balance of trying to make guys feel good,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “Laughter is always a good remedy for something like this when it’s appropriate. Today’s workout outside, it’s not the first time we’ve done that, but it does feel good to be out there.”

Vogel, who once again spoke on behalf of the Lakers (no players or other staff addressed the media), said the team had encouraged Pelinka to spend as much time as possible with his family.

It’s a difficult time for any front office with the Feb. 6 trade deadline looming – much less a front office dealing with tragedy. But Vogel said he thinks Pelinka has handled the gauntlet as well as anyone could.

Related Articles ‘Three-Ring Circus,’ part 1: High schooler Kobe Bryant eyes NBA

Coming Sunday: Early look at new Lakers book

California lawmakers finalize action on a wide range of bills

Helicopter company in fatal Kobe Bryant crash sues 2 air traffic controllers

New mural in Santa Ana honoring the Laker star was being finished on Aug. 24, Kobe Bryant Day “To his credit, he’s done just a great job of striking that balance, just making sure obviously that his priorities are in the right spot to be down in Newport,” Vogel said. “But he’s been in the last two days and we’re concentrating on the work. There’s therapy in the work. Our whole belief since I got here is we’re just going to put our heads down, roll our sleeves up, and grind and do the job.”

Buss was already profoundly shaken by the death of her mother, Jo Ann Buss, and former NBA commissioner David Stern in the last month. She wrote an Instagram post on Thursday morning, telling how Kobe and Gianna had comforted her after her father died in 2013.

“I reflect on that day often and it makes me smile and it makes me strong,” she wrote. “I call on that memory whenever I feel down and need a bit of courage. For everything you did on the court that filled me with so much joy and love, for all the lives you changed through basketball itself, it was that day with Gigi that reignited my drive and determination.”

The Laker players themselves sought some of that determination to focus on the game on Friday, their first return to action since Saturday’s loss in Philadelphia. Vogel said he hoped there was a “therapeutic” benefit to the outside portion of practice, but the team had spent a chunk of their time scheming for the Trail Blazers.

While he wouldn’t divulge the details of any planned tributes before tip-off, he acknowledged that he’s been briefed on them. Everyone in the franchise is preparing for one of the most difficult games they’ve ever had to play.

“I would imagine it probably makes it a little harder than an ordinary game with all the emotions and all that stuff, but we shouldn’t do it any other way,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do and it will be an important night for our franchise and Laker Nation.”