Friday night, Taylor Swift kept up with her tradition of bringing celebrities onstage during her 1989 world tour and in turn, was honored with a banner at Los Angeles' Staples Center for selling out a total of 16 shows there--more than any other artist. Instead of parading on stage with a flock of female besties, it was only fitting that the Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant popped up onstage in his own arena to congratulate Taylor on her accomplishment before Ryan Tedder stormed the stage.
"Sixteen is a very special number here in Los Angeles," Bryant told the audience according to MTV. The Los Angeles Lakers notched 16 championships over their illustrious career, the last of which was sealed in 2010. Alongside the celebrated sports teams who were given banners of appreciation, Taylor was honored with her very own white, black and red token of personal triumph.
A photo posted by STAPLES Center (@staplescenterla) on Aug 22, 2015 at 11:20am PDT
The excitement during the pop star's latest 1989 gig only multiplied when she welcomed songwriter, producer and One Republic front man Ryan Tedder to perform his 2013 hit track, "Counting Stars." "It was so awesome to collaborate with him on 'Welcome to New York' and 'I Know Places,' then share the stage with him," Swift wrote on Instagram, along with a picture of the duo.
Another Swift gig will happen at the Staples Center tonight--perhaps another sports icon will grace the Los Angeles stage. The 25-year-old singer previously surprised audiences with the U.S. Women's Soccer team, Fifth Harmony, Julia Roberts and Uzo Aduba.
Law & Order: SVU's Mariska Hargitay, who appeared in the singer's "Blank Space" music video, was spotted in the crowd along with Gigi Hadid, Joe Jonas, Helen Hunt, Lizzie Rovsek, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Mark Wahlberg, notes E!. The Ted 2 actor even brought his 11-year-old daughter, Ella Wahlberg, and her friends to meet the "Welcome to New York" singer backstage.
