This was undoubtedly a day of celebration for the fans.
And the festivities began right at the hotel.
A little after three in the afternoon, the Lakers' bus departed from their hotel.
"Yao, I thought you'd have the most fans, but look, they're all here for Kobe," Fisher said, pointing out the window.
Outside the hotel, a massive crowd of fans had gathered.
At a glance, most of the fans were wearing number 24 jerseys, and most were holding up signs with Kobe's name.
And when Kobe opened a window in the back row to wave at the fans on either side, the cheers for him erupted in a thunderous roar.
Yao Ming spread his hands, as if to say there was nothing he could do.
As a center, he just couldn't grab the spotlight the way Kobe did.
For the vast majority of Chinese NBA fans, their favorite team was now the Lakers, and their favorite player was Kobe.
Of course, none of this would have happened without Yao Ming joining the team.
