In his first game since the tragic death of Kobe Bryant this weekend, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James took the time to give a pregame speech as a tribute to the late NBA legend.

James addressed the Staples Center crowd in an emotional moment for both fans and players. The Lakers were originally scheduled to face off against the Los Angeles Clippers earlier in the week but the game was postponed in the wake of Bryant's death.

Instead, the Lakers' first game post-tragedy will be against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Bryant passed away this weekend in a tragic helicopter accident in Calabasas, California. The crash also took the lives of Bryant's 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers as the helicopter was on its way to a travel basketball game.

The rest of the NBA has found ways to pay homage to the five-time NBA champion. However, with Bryant spending all 20 seasons of his career with the Lakers, Friday's game has a bit of a different aura to it.

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant were also close friends who competed as superstars in the 2000s and 2010s. The duo also teamed up on the U.S. Olympic team in both 2008 and 2012.

–

Follow ClutchPoints on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook. We can also be found on Flipboard where you can subscribe and follow us.

All of our NBA content can be found on the NBA section of the ClutchPoints home page here. For all of our college basketball content, click here.

Follow NBA games live by downloading the ClutchPoints App and heading to the scores tab under the NBA section.

You can listen and subscribe to the Battle for LA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Soundcloud. You can also find new episodes of Battle for LA, the ClutchPoints NBA Podcast, and Establish the Pass under the Podcast tab on the ClutchPoints home page.