Lakers honor life of Kobe Bryant with an emotional tribute
LOS ANGELES — The lights dimmed. The chants rang out. Ko-be! Ko-be! Then, M-V-P! M-V-P! For the 19,000-plus who packed Staples Center on a somber Friday night, those things were probably expected.
The heartfelt moments that followed came in waves, inducing unpredictable emotions in the building and all over Southern California.
Usher stood in the spotlight at center court, singing “Amazing Grace” with his eyes closed. Los Angeles philharmonic cellist Ben Hong set the background music during a stirring video tribute. Boyz II Men wore gold No. 8 jerseys and sang the national anthem. A fan yelled “Jesus loves you, Kobe!” before the crowd broke into chants of “GiGi! Gi-Gi!” to honor Kobe Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, one of the eight who died alongside the Lakers legend in a helicopter crash Sunday morning.
After all of that, the Lakers, a franchise forced to grieve the star shooting guard who helped to add five NBA championship banners to the rafters above, had one more surprise in store.
LeBron James stepped to center court. It was he who read the names of the nine who departed tragically in Calabasas, bringing a city to its knees.
James, who is in his second season with the Lakers and passed Bryant to take third place on the NBA’s alltime scoring list Saturday night, held a small piece of white paper but quickly tossed it aside.
“I got something written down. They asked me to stay on course, but Laker Nation, I would be selling y’all short if I read off this shit, so I’m going to go straight from the heart,” he said.
“The first thing that comes to mind, as I look around this arena, we’re all grieving, we’re all hurt, we’re all heartbroken, but when we’re going through things like this, the best thing you can do is lean on the shoulders of your family. And from Sunday morning until this point ... I’ve heard about Laker Nation and how much of a family it is ... and that is absolutely what I’ve seen this whole week . ... This is really, truly a family.
“Now, I know at some point we will have a memorial for Kobe, but I’m looking at this as a celebration tonight. This is a celebration of the 20 years, of the blood, the sweat, the tears, the broken-down body, the getting up, the sitting down, the countless hours, the determination to be as great as he could be ... tonight we celebrate the kid that came here at 18 years of age, retired at 38 and became probably the best dad that we’ve seen over the last three years, man.”
Earlier Friday, James revealed on his Instagram that he had gotten a new tattoo in Bryant’s honor on his left thigh. It was a black snake with the inscription “Mamba 4 Life.”
“In the words of Kobe Bryant, Mamba out,” he told the fans, “But in the words of us, not forgotten. Live on, brother.”
James put the microphone down on the floor and walked to the Lakers’ bench. The lights came on. The starting lineups were announced, finishing with
Bryant’s name being called as the Lakers’ sixth man for this special night.
The Lakers began the game with a 24-second shot clock violation, and the Portland Trail Blazers followed with an eight-second backcourt violation — as all other NBA games have begun since Sunday.
Then, somehow, the Lakers and Blazers played a game of basketball.
James’ chiseled physique will now forever carry the memory of Kobe Bryant on his left thigh.
Hours before the Lakers play their first game since Bryant’s death against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night, James revealed on his Instagram account a new tattoo honoring Bryant, whom James passed for third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list Saturday night.
The fresh ink shows a “Black Mamba” snake with a rose, a No. 24 and a No. 8, with the inscription “Mamba 4 Life.”
James also posted a picture of him and Bryant sitting on the bench together as Olympians.
The Lakers tweeted a photo of Bryant’s No. 24 jersey hanging on a wall to the side of James’ locker as he prepared for Friday’s game. James uses the same corner locker space that Bryant used during his time as a player.
Lakers center Dwight Howard wore a No. 8 Bryant T-shirt while shooting some baskets about an a hour and a half before the start of Friday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers.