Lakers return to Hawaii after 8 years

They’ve been a long time coming back.

When the Los Angeles Lakers open training camp at the Stan Sheriff Center today, it marks the end of an eight-year drought for NBA preseason basketball in Honolulu.

The state’s adopted pro hoops team opens its eight-game preseason exhibition schedule with two meetings against the Utah Jazz at the Stan Sheriff Center on Sunday and Oct. 6.

The “road team” Jazz don’t arrive in the islands until Saturday.

Last time the Lakers were here — 2007 — Kobe Bryant had won three championship rings, but none without Shaquille O’Neal. And UH football was just beginning its unbeaten run to the Sugar Bowl.

“I was working for Jim Donovan at the Hawaii Bowl,” UH athletic director David Matlin recalled.

While UH athletics has undergone plenty of change since then, the alterations to the Lakers have been even more dramatic.

Bryant, coached by Phil Jackson, would go on to lead the Purple and Gold to titles in 2009 and 2010, cementing his legacy as one of the top shooting guards in league history.

But there’s been some uncharacteristically lean years for Kobe and Co. since then. Bryant, 37, is coming off his third straight season-ending injury. Jackson left the West Coast for the New York Knicks’ front office. Derek Fisher retired and became coach of the Knicks. Pau Gasol is a Chicago Bull.

Last season’s 21-61 record under coach Byron Scott was the worst since the Lakers moved to Los Angeles in 1961. New and young faces abound on the Lakers’ roster — although the team recently brought back veteran Metta World Peace.

There’s plenty of speculation that this will be Bryant’s last season. He’s been cleared for work coming off his shoulder rehab, but it’s unclear just how much he will participate in camp this week and in the exhibition games.

Despite all that, the two games at the 10,300-seat Sheriff were nearly sold out as of Monday.

Matlin said UH expects a combined cash windfall of “high five figures to low six figures” for hosting the games.

“I know sales are brisk, which is great,” he said. “It gets a lot of people going to basketball games and that can continue on to our (UH) season.”

Matlin said he’d try to sit down with Lakers executives in an attempt to map out a return to the days of visits every two or three years.

“I remember when I was working back in the ‘90s, the Lakers came a few times then, too,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for local people to see NBA high-caliber basketball, as well as an opportunity to monetize our facility.”