O'Neal and Bryant joined the Lakers together in 1996 and won three consecutive championships. Although their relationship was often rocky in public, O'Neal said the two were always friendly in private, even comparing their dynamic to The Beatles' John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

O'Neal said the pair "pushed each other to play some of the greatest basketball of all time". O'Neal also got the biggest laugh with a profane joke about an exchange in which Shaq told Kobe there was no "I" in team, but Bryant responded by noting that there is an "M-E".

The ceremony began with Beyonce performing her songs XO and Halo. Keys performed Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and Aguilera sang Ave Maria.

The five-time NBA champion's two retired jersey numbers－8 and 24－h(huán)ang high above the arena where he became the third-leading scorer in league history. Lakers star LeBron James surpassed him on the night before Bryant's death.

Hours before the service, Vanessa Bryant sued the owner of the helicopter that crashed in the fog. The wrongful-death lawsuit claimed that the pilot, Ara Zobayan, was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions.

The National Transportation Safety Board has not concluded what caused the crash on the outskirts of Los Angeles County but said there was no sign of mechanical failure.

Money from ticket sales at the sold-out memorial will be given to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which supports youth sports programs.

Samantha DeJesus, 32, and her brother George Galano, 31, paid $448 for their two seats. The siblings, who saw their first Lakers game at the Forum against the Utah Jazz in the 1990s, said they couldn't miss it.

DeJesus called the ceremony "very emotional" and cried throughout. "You knew it was meant from the heart," she said.

AP VIA XINHUA