ANAHEIM, Calif.—In most games the Blue Devils have played this season, head coach Mike Krzyzewski draws the loudest ovation upon entrance into the arena.
That was not the case Thursday.
Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant was in attendance for Duke's season-ending 82-68 Sweet 16 loss to Oregon. Bryant sat in the Blue Devil section of the crowd beside Duke athletic director Kevin White after talking with Mickie Krzyzewski—the wife of Duke's head coach.
The Los Angeles Laker star entered the arena wearing black sunglasses and a black hoodie and showed his support for Mike Krzyzewski with a thumbs-up prior to tip-off. The 18-time All-Star spent much of halftime taking pictures with fans sitting around him and chatted with Oklahoma star Buddy Hield in the first half.
#Vino @kobebryant twofour #BucketGang pic.twitter.com/R4SOEWMQbK
— Buddy Love !!!! (@buddyhield) March 25, 2016
In addition to making waves in the crowd, the 38-year old also caught the attention of a handful of players on the court.
"Casey [Benson] told me at halftime that Kobe was out there," Oregon forward Jordan Bell said. "I didn't see him. But when he told me, I turned into a fan. Obviously it's his last year, so every time I had a chance I peeked his way to see if he was looking at me. Once I saw him I was like, 'I got to score because he's a scorer. I got to score.'"
Krzyzewski and Bryant have developed a close relationship through Team USA, as Krzyzewski led the guard to gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Although Bryant won't be suiting up in the red, white and blue in the upcoming 2016 Olympics, Duke's head coach will slowly turn his attention to his summer coaching job as he hopes to lead the United States to a third consecutive gold medal before stepping away from the head coaching position with Team USA.
"I'll be ready. I've got a little medical procedure I've got to take care of, but I'll be ready for USA," Krzyzewski said.
Bryant is in the midst of his final regular season and will close the book on his 20-year career April 13 against the Utah Jazz.
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