LeBron James and the LA Lakers pay tribute to Kobe Bryant

01/02/2020

Tearful LeBron James gives powerful speech as grieving LA Lakers honor Kobe Bryant at their first game since the NBA legend, his daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash

The Los Angeles Lakers paid tribute to Kobe Bryant, 41, and 13-year-old Gianna Bryant in their first game since the two died in a helicopter crash on January 26
Lebron James gave a passionate and tearful speech honoring Bryant, calling him a ‘brother’ and ‘one of the best fathers
James said: ‘So in the words of Kobe Bryant, ‘Mamba out’, but in the words of us, not forgotten’
Two courtside seats will directly honor Bryant with his number 24 jersey and Gianna’s number two jersey, which she wore while playing on her father’s Mamba Academy team
Staples Center held a 24.4 second moment of silence by honoring Bryant and Gianna’s numbers
Bryant’s two Lakers jerseys have been placed on every seat inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, in honor of the champion
Every person that attends the event will get a free tribute t-shirt and current Lakers jerseys have patches with Bryant’s initials
Staples Center court has also been decorated with number eight and 24 to the court design and baseline
Friends and loved ones have expressed sorrow over the loss, with many of them sharing heartfelt messages
Fans have erected memorials and painted murals for Bryant across the country

Team leader Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers paid tribute to five-time champion Kobe Bryant, who perished alongside his young daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash, in the first game since their tragic deaths.

Inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, a purple light flashed on Bryant’s, 41, two Lakers jerseys –numbers eight and 24- as mourning fans chanted his name and yelled ‘MVP.’

20,000 stadium seats were filled with grieving fans wearing Bryant tribute shirts and a heartbroken Lebron James, 35, shared a touching speech on behalf of the Lakers team.

‘Now, I got something written down,’ James began, ‘but Lakers nation, I would be selling y’all short if I read off this s**t so I’m going to go from the heart.

‘The first thing that comes to mind is all about family, and as I look around this arena, we’re all grieving…When you’re going through something like this the best thing you can do is lean on the shoulders’ of your family.’

‘I heard about the Lakers nation and how much of a family it is and that is absolutely what I’ve seen this week. Not only from the players, not only from the coaching staff, not only from the league, but from everybody.’

‘Everybody’s that here…this is really, truly a family. I know Kobe, Gianna, Vanessa and everybody thanks you guys from the bottom of their hearts.’

Member of the Los Angeles Lakers huddled together before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers as they prepared for a tear-jerking tribute for former player, Kobe Bryant

Lebron James (center) comforts a teammate as several Lakers players watch the organization and Staples Center honor Kobe Bryant, as well as 13-year-old Gianna ‘GiGi’ Bryant

Lebron James (pictured) gave a moving speech before the Lakers game against the Portland Trail Blazers, saying: ‘Now, I know at some point we will have a memorial for Kobe, but I look at this as a celebration tonight. This is a celebration of 30 years of blood and sweat and tears…and countless hours. The termination to be as great as he could be.’

Lebron (right) and current members of the Lakers shed tears during Boyz II Men singing the National Anthem during the Kobe and Gianna Bryant tribute

During the tribute’s opening, a purple spotlight shone on two banners of Bryant’s jerseys he sported while he spent 20 seasons with the Lakers

Pictured: The shoes of Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James with a message honoring Kobe Bryant, during the second half of the Lakers’ NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night

‘Now, I know at some point we will have a memorial for Kobe, but I look at this as a celebration tonight. This is a celebration of 30 years of blood and sweat and tears…and countless hours. The termination to be as great as he could be. Tonight we celebrate the man who came here at 18-years of age, retired at 38 and became probably the best dad we’ve seen over the last three years.’

Before we get to play…I love y’all man. Kobe is a brother to me and from the time I was in high school, watching him from afar, to when I joined this league and watched him up close. All the battle’s we’ve had throughout my career…the one thing we always shared was the determination to win and be great.’

‘So in the words of Kobe Bryant, ‘Mamba out’, but in the words of us, not forgotten.’

Antony Davis (left) and Lebron James are credited with helping their teammates manage their emotions as they continue their basketball season on Friday

James (pictured): ‘Before we get to play…I love y’all man. Kobe is a brother to me and from the time I was in high school, watching him from afar, to when I joined this league and watched him up close. All the battle’s we’ve had throughout my career…the one thing we always shared was the determination to win and be great’

Members of the Lakers team held each other in comfort under a purple tint as they mourned the loss of Bryant just five days before

People hold up ‘Kobe’ sings, fan-made versions of his jerseys and a picture of his face during the Lakers game against the Blazers

The Lakers players bow their heads in respect of the National Anthem and in honor of both Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant

Boyz II Men wore ‘Bryant’ tribute shirts while singing the National Anthem for Bryant’s tribute on Friday night

Then, a 24.2 second silence was held for the Bryant family following a moment silence for the other seven victims.

In addition to the heart-wrenching tribute, two courtside seats will show Bryant’s 24 jersey next Gianna’s number two jersey. A rose bouquet rests atop for each.

James: ‘So in the words of Kobe Bryant, ‘Mamba out’, but in the words of us, not forgotten’

Bryant and 13-year-old Gianna died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas around 10am on January 26.

The nine victims include: John Altobelli, a baseball coach at Orange Coast College, his wife Keri and their daughter Alyssa; basketball coach Christina Mauser; Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton; and the pilot Ara Zobayan

It’s reported that the group was heading towards the Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks from John Wayne Airport near his home in Newport Beach. They were scheduled to practice basketball.

The flight took off shortly after 9am and around 9.20am, Zobayan circled above Burbank Airport for 15 minutes.

He was relying on his eyesight alone to make out the terrain beneath him, choosing not to utilize what is known in flying as instrument flight rules (IFR), which would have allowed him to navigate through the clouds but which would have taken longer.

They’re missed: Kobe and Gianna were among the nine people who died in a tragic helicopter crash Sunday near Calabasas

The Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, which Bryant often traveled in, caught fire after it struck a hillside amid heavy fog in the area.

It was later revealed by authorities that helicopters were grounded that day, as weather ‘did not meet our standards.’

Audio revealed that air traffic control taken shortly before the crash told the pilot, Zobayan, was ‘too low’ for radar tracking.

There are conflicting reports that he was trying to land at Burbank and that he was just held there because of it being busy. After around 15 minutes circling above Burbank, he started flying west towards Thousand Oaks, following the highway, but without explanation, dipped south towards Calabasas.

What exactly caused him to crash remains unconfirmed but ‘all the signs’ point to the pilot not being able to see where he was going and not using altitude monitoring instruments, the source added, instead relying solely on his eyesight.

Also killed in the crash were John Altobelli (left), 56, longtime head coach of Southern California’s Orange Coast College baseball team; his wife, Keri (left, with John); and daughter, Alyssa (right), who played on the same basketball team as Bryant’s daughter

Another young player, Payton Chester (left), was killed in the crash along with her mother Sarah Chester (right)

Christina Mauser (left, with her husband, Matt who was not on the chopper), a girls basketball coach at a nearby private elementary school, also died in the crash. Pilot Ara Zobayan (right) was also killed

Rescuers retrieve a body from the scene of the helicopter crash in Calabasas which has stunned the world of basketball

The smoking wreckage of the helicopter which crashed on a California hillside on Sunday morning, killing all nine people on board including NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna

Superstar Usher began the tribute with an acappella rendition of Amazing Grace, as thousands of fans chanted Bryant and Gianna’s name

Prior to the Lakers game against the the Portland Trail Blazers, fans left flowers, basketballs, balloons and other memorabilia outside of Staples Center in Los Angeles, California

A young child dressed in Lakers merchandise scores a basket outside of Staples Center as the organization prepared to honor Kobe Bryant

One fan wrote: ‘Mamba Forever! I love you forever. Goat!’ and called Gianna Bryant ‘Mambacita forever!’

A fan pauses and attempts to hold back tears at a memorial to Kobe Bryant in front of Staples Center

James: ‘I heard about the Lakers nation and how much of a family it is and that is absolutely what I’ve seen this week. Not only from the players, not only from the coaching staff, not only from the league, but from everybody’

Before James’ homage to Bryant, superstar Usher began the ceremony with a somber rendition of Amazing Grace while Lakers colored flower bouquets were set behind him with Bryant’s numbers.

During Amazing Grace, the Staples Center Jumbotron played video clips of the Lakers team, fan memorials placed across the country and other professional athletes paying tribute the five-time NBA champion.

The names of all nine victims who perished in the helicopter crash were also listed, in additional honor to their grieving loved ones.

Usher sits alone inside Staples Center, where several thousand Kobe Bryant shirts have been given away free of charge, before he performed Amazing Grace for the tribute’s opening

Fans grieve for Kobe Bryant at a makeshift memorial at LA Live across the street from Staples Center

A fan wears a Lakers shirt with photo of Bryant placed on the fabric, Lakers colored wrist bands and a hard hat outside Staples Center

As photos of Bryant’s time with the Lakers flashed on the screen, the crowd let out a chant for 13-year-old Gianna ‘Gigi’ Bryant who died alongside her father.

Cellist Ben Hong then appeared with a touching rendering of Hallelujah.

Meanwhile, Bryant’s voice echoed across the Staples Center as clips from previous interviews and specials played, highlighting his enviable drive, pure talent and undeniable love for the game.

‘Once upon a time, there was a young basketball player who had dreams of being one of the best basketball players in the NBA,’ Bryant can be seen saying in an interview.

A touching video tribute to Kobe Bryant played before the Lakers-Blazers game as fans chanted ‘Kobe’ and ‘Gigi’

A Lakers fan wears a mask to protect against the Coronavirus as he pays his respects at a Staples Center memorial wall to NBA legend Kobe Bryant

The Los Angeles Lakers will pay tribute to former team player Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna ‘Gigi’ Bryant, in their first game since the two died in a helicopter crash on January 26

Cellist Ben Hong practices for the Los Angeles Lakers pregame ceremony to honor Kobe Bryant before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center on Friday

Girls from the Mamba Academy team, who played with Gianna before her death, attended the game and sat courtside during the tribute

Each seat in the Staples Center – totaling to 20,000 – has been covered with Bryant’s numbers eight and 24 jerseys in honor of the five-time champion. One section has number eight jerseys, while the other has 24.

Pictured: a bird’s eye view of the memorial outside the Staples Center

The video tribute also showed Bryant’s accomplishments off the court, including winning an Oscar in 2018 for Best Animated Short Film.

Bryant mentioned his wife, Vanessa Bryant, who has four daughters with the NBA Legend. It’s unclear if Vanessa or the remaining children were at the game.

The stunned crowd watched on in gripped attention as photos of the Bryants showed the beautiful family, and gave reverberating applause as the segment ended with Bryant saying, ‘Mamba out.’

Singer Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa performed during the halftime show with a stripped down version of See You Again. Wiz Khalifa honored Bryant and the Lakers by wearing a Lakers jacket.

Singer Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa performed during the halftime show with a stripped down version of See You Again on the Lakers court

Vanessa Bryant first spoke out after the tragedy on Wednesday, saying: ‘Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter’

Staples Center has decorated the basketball court with a emblem of Kobe Bryant’s initial, as well a adding his numbers eight and 24 to the court design

Several fans wrote ‘RIP Kobe’ and left messages for the NBA Legend on a poster outside of Staples Center this week

Several grieving fans arrive outside the Staples Center on Friday night to honor Kobe Bryant in a heartbreaking tribute to the NBA legend and Gianna

Tearful fans gather near a memorial outside Staples Center following Bryant and Gianna’s deaths on January 26

On Friday, it was announced that 20,000 free Kobe Bryant tribute shirts would be given out to attendees during the game.

Seats at Friday’s game quickly became a hot commodity, with USA Today reporting that as of Thursday afternoon, tickets ranged from $780 and $6,534.

StubHub announced on Wednesday that they are donating profits from Friday’s game to the Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation.

StubHub general manager Akshay Khanna said: ‘In honor of Kobe and Gigi Bryant, all fees for the January 31st Lakers versus Portland Trailblazers game and the Lakers versus Clippers game – for whenever it is rescheduled – will be donated to the Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation.’

Legends never die: The team has also put patches with Bryant’s initials on their jerseys and placed t-shirts with his name and number on the seats of the arena

Saying goodbye: The marquee outside the Staples Center read, ‘Rest in peace Kobe and Gianna (his 13-year-old daughter Gianna also died in the crash)

Additionally, the Lakers have added numbers eight and 24 to the court design and baseline. The players will also wear jersey patches of Bryant’s initials with the same design.

Gianna’s teammates from Mamba Sports Academy were also be in attendance for the game.

Ahead of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers, current players and longtime friends are visibly shaken by the sudden news.

‘We want to represent what Kobe was about more than anything,’ Lakers coach Frank Vogel told reporters at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo.

‘We’ve always wanted to make him proud and that’s not going to be any different.’

Following Bryant’s death, the National Basketball Association cancelled a game scheduled at the Staple’s Center on Tuesday between the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers. It was said the Lakers needed time to grieve.

James and player Anthony Davis have been credited with helping the team manage their emotions.

James took to Instagram Friday to reveal his new tattoo in tribute to Bryant and said: ‘I literally just heard your voice Sunday morning before I left Philly to head back to LA,’ he said.

‘Didn’t think for one bit in a million years that would be the last conversation we’d have. WTF!! I’m heartbroken and devastated my brother!! Man I love you big bro. My heart goes to Vanessa and the kids. I promise you I’ll continue your legacy man!’

In loving memory: James took to Instagram Friday to reveal the tattoo, in tribute to his late teammate, who died tragically Sunday in a helicopter crash

Ink is forever: LeBron James revealed his new tattoo of a coiled snake, entwined with roses and teammate Kobe Bryant’s numbers ’24’ and ‘8,’ featuring the words ‘Mamba 4 Life’

‘Please give me the strength from the heavens above and watch over me. I’m heartbroken and devastated my brother!!’

The ink features a black coiled snake, entwined with roses and Bryant’s numbers ’24’ and ‘eight,’ featuring the words ‘Mamba 4 Life.’

Bryant dubbed himself Black Mamba after he was charged with sexual assault in 2003, in attempt to separate his career from the backlash.

In 2014, he told The New Yorker: ‘The name [Kobe Bryant] just evokes such a negative emotion.

‘I said, “If I create this alter ego, so now when I play this is what’s coming out of your mouth, it separates the personal stuff, right?” You’re not watching David Banner — you’re watching the Hulk.’

James posted a photo of the tattoo Friday, along with a snap of himself resting his head on Bryant’s shoulder as they sat courtside, captioned: ‘My brother.’

The ink was visible on James’ left thigh Thursday in photos of him practicing with his teammates.

Davis revealed that he’s getting new ink as well from the same artist, also sharing a boomerang of her work.

He’s yet to reveal the final product, but the video appears to show a set of wings in purple ink, the team’s color.

Vogel said the team is still working through their grief, but are attempting to find the bright spots in Bryant’s legacy and among each other.

He said: ‘We are striking a balance of trying to make us feel good. Laughter is always a good remedy for something like this when it’s appropriate.’

Practice on Thursday began with a flag football game on the outside field near the Lakers’ practice facility in a move Vogel called ‘therapeutic.’

Fans stop to take pictures of French artist Mr. Brainwash’s mural of Gianna and Bryant, which has become one of several since the two’s death last week

Kobe Bryant image appears on a screen at the Staples Center ahead of a game between Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers

Mourners gather outside Staples Center before a Los Angeles Lakers home game to pay respects to Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant

A memorial for Kobe Bryant was erected at LA Live after news broke of his and his daughter’s deaths

Across the country and around the globe, fans paid their respects to Bryant, Gianna and the victims.

Mourners also were assembling outside other arenas, including New York’s famed Madison Square Garden. The arena’s exterior lights were changed to purple and gold to honor Bryant before Sunday night’s game between the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.

In Denver, a tearful tribute to Bryant was made at the Pepsi Center before the Denver Nuggets played the Houston Rockets.

Fans also set up a makeshift memorial outside the Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, which Bryant founded and where he was reportedly going with his daughter for basketball practice when the crash happened.

Dharma Brown, 8, of Los Angeles, writes a note to the late Kobe Bryant outside of the Staples Center

By evening, mourners had also gathered outside Bryant’s former high school in Pennsylvania.

Several dozen people stood silently at Lower Merion High School, in Ardmore near Philadelphia, where Bryant had attended as a youth.

Bryant was widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

The Philadelphia native was a first-round pick in the 1996 draft and spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers, winning five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVP titles and 18 All-Star titles before retiring in 2016.

Bryant was on 15 All-NBA Teams, 12 All-Defensive Teams and represented the USA at the Olympics in 2008 and 2008.

Fans began setting up a shrine to legendary NBA star Kobe Bryant outside the Staples Center on Sunday, after the former Los Angeles Lakers star died alongside his daughter, Gianna, 13, and seven others in a chopper crash that morning

Some fans were visibly emotional outside the Staples Center while paying respects to Kobe Bryant on Sunday, after the former Los Angeles Lakers star died alongside his daughter Gianna and seven others in a chopper crash that morning

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