LeBron James Opens Up on Kobe Bryant's Happiness, Family After Lakers Game

Following the Los Angeles Lakers' emotional return to the court Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers, LeBron James shared thoughts about what he saw from Kobe Bryant in the years after his retirement. 

Per CBS Sports' Sam Quinn, James said Bryant was "the happiest that I've ever seen him" since retiring from the NBA because it allowed him to spend more time with his family:

"You know, for me, I was telling my wife a couple of days ago. I was like, 'Seeing Kobe play the game of basketball for 20 years for the Lakers, since he was 18 to 38, and I was like, you know what's crazy?' And she was like, 'What?' I was like, 'You know what? These last three years, out of all the success he had, five rings, multiple MVPs at the All-Star Game, MVP of this league, first-team everything, all-life, all-world, all-basketball, I felt like these last three years was the happiest I've ever seen him.'

"I think we all can say that. It's like the happiest that I've ever seen. Being able to just be with his daughters, be with his family, because when we're playing this game of basketball, we give so much to it. It's my 17th year, so I know. You give so much to it that, unfortunately, your family comes to the wayside at times, because when you want to be great at something, when you want to be the best at something, you become so driven that you won't let nothing stand in the way of it. Not even your own family sometimes."

Friday was the Lakers' first game since the Sunday helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, that killed nine people, including Bryant and his daughter Gianna. The Lakers had a game scheduled two days after the crash against the Los Angeles Clippers that was postponed.

Before tipoff against the Blazers, there was a ceremony at Staples Center to honor the victims of the crash that included video tributes and musical performances from Boyz II Men, Usher and cellist Ben Hong.

James addressed the crowd, telling them he was looking "at this as a celebration tonight" before they eventually "have a memorial for Kobe."

"This is a celebration of the 20 years of the blood, the sweat, the tears, the broken-down body, the getting up, the sitting down, the everything," he said. "The countless hours, the determination to be as great as he could be. Tonight, we celebrate the kid that came here at 18 years of age, retired at 38 and became probably the best dad we've seen over the past three years, man."

The Lakers would come up short in the game, losing 127-119, but that paled in comparison to everything that was happening around the action.

Los Angeles will be back on the court Saturday, traveling to Golden 1 Center to take on the Sacramento Kings.