Kobe returns to action in Lakers' preseason opener

The highly-anticipated return of Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Kobe Bryant - albeit in preseason action - took place Sunday night at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, against the Utah Jazz.

Bryant, 37, was forced to the sidelines for all but 35 games during the 2014-15 season after suffering a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. Prior to Sunday, his last taste of NBA action was a regular-season outing against the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 21.

As expected, Bryant started at small forward alongside Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell in the backcourt, with Julius Randle - seeing his first minutes since breaking his tibia in last season's home opener - and Roy Hibbert manning the four and five spots, respectively.

There was obviously going to be some court rust for "The Black Mamba" after being away from competition for so long, which Bryant demonstrated by clanking his first shot attempt off the side of the backboard on a contested 3-pointer from the corner over Gordon Hayward.

Foul trouble reared its ugly head early in the first quarter, with the five-time champion picking up two fouls in under four minutes.

Bryant's first basket didn't come until there was just 4:24 remaining in the period, redeeming his earlier attempt by drilling a long-range bomb on the opposite side of the court, right in the face of 6-foot-8 Hayward.

Bryant wound up playing every single minute of the first quarter, finishing with five points on just 1-of-5 shooting from the field. He hit two freebies at the charity stripe, while not grabbing a single rebound or dishing out a dime.

This is important to know because this was the only playing time Bryant saw on the evening, warming the bench for the remainder of the game.

The Jazz prevailed in the end, pulling out a convincing 90-71 victory on the back of Derrick Favor's 16-point, nine-rebound performance. Utah's 37 percent shooting was good enough on this occasion, as the Lakers barely nailed a quarter of their attempts at 28.9 percent.

Leading the way for Los Angeles was reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams with 14 points and four assists, while "Swaggy P" Nick Young chipped in 10 points and two 3-pointers. Utah's Hayward barely missed out on a double-double with 11 points and nine boards, as did center Rudy Gobert, who had 10 points and eight rebounds of his own in 24 minutes.

Fans in attendance were clearly upset over Bryant sitting for the final three quarters, but in a meaningless preseason game, Lakers head coach Byron Scott elected to err on the side of caution.

Perhaps they'll get a chance to see more of their basketball hero on Tuesday when the Lakers and Jazz face off once again in Hawaii.