MAMBA FOREVER

UConn, Team USA honor Kobe, Gianna Bryant

HARTFORD — Geno Auriemma sat still. Hands in lap, he stared blankly down at the court.

A few rows down from the UConn women’s basketball coach, a basketball jersey was draped on a chair, and a bouquet of flowers sat untouched.

The XL Center crowd cheered, but nobody on the court moved an inch.

UConn and USA Basketball paid

their respects to Kobe Bryant prior to their exhibition game at the XL Center Monday night.

Bryant, 41, and his daughter, Gianna, 13, were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash Sunday in Los Angeles.

Around 7 p.m., after the Huskies honored their 2009 and 2010 national championship teams, the lights went dark and the players locked arms at halfcourt for a 24-second moment of silence.

Following tipoff, the U.S. national team took an 8second backcourt violation and the Huskies took a

24-second shot clock violation, in honor of the numbers Bryant wore during his legendary career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Teams across the NBA honored one of the league’s icons in a similar way on Sunday.

As UConn held the ball for the 24-second violation, Auriemma sat with his head tilted forward. He wiped tears, rubbed his eyes and stared at the floor.

Bryant’s death has been felt all around the sports world, including at UConn, given his strong ties to the program. Last March, Bryant and his daughter cheered for the Huskies from a few rows behind the bench and addressed

the team in the locker room afterward. Bryant also attended the 2018 Final Four in Columbus, Ohio and was at a UConnUCLA game in Los Angeles in 2017.

Players from both teams honored Bryant in various ways, including Breanna Stewart, who paused during the pregame shootaround to write the names of the victims on her shoe.

After retiring from the NBA in 2016, Bryant became vocal supporter of women’s basketball. And he forged a friendship with Auriemma, whom he met at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Bryant’s daughter was particularly fond of the Huskies. In October 2018,

Bryant was overheard telling NBA great Reggie Miller that Gianna was “hellbent” on playing for the Huskies.

UConn honored Gianna with the seat on the bench. A UConn jersey with No. 2, drapped on the chair. A bouquet of flowers to pay respect to her.

During shootaround, videoboards along the baseline read “Mamba Forever,” in reference to Bryant’s nickname, “Black Mamba.”

Additionally, amidst a sea of red, white and blue, several fans recognized Bryant by wearing his Lakers jersey.

Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media Team USA and the University of Connecticut women's basketball players huddle at center court in silence in honor of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna, before an exhibition game between the two teams at the XL Center in Hartford on Monday. Former UConn star Breanna Stewart is at center.

Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media A chair on the UConn bench is covered by a small team jersey and a bouquet of flowers in honor of Gianna Bryant, daughter of Kobe Bryant, at an exhibition game at the XL Center in Hartford on Monday.

Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media Wearing his Kobe Bryant Lakers jersey, James Hurdle, of Windsor Locks, shoots video of team warm-ups from his front row seat at an exhibition game between Team USA and the UConn women's basketball team at the XL Center in Hartford on Monday. The teams honored Bryant's passing with twenty-four seconds of silence before the start of the game.