NBA cancels Lakers-Clippers game Tuesday

The NBA has postponed the Los Angeles Lakers’ next game against the Clippers on Tuesday night after the deaths of retired superstar Kobe Bryant, his 13year-old daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash.

The league announced the decision in a statement Monday, saying it “was made out of respect for the Lakers organization.”

Bryant’s helicopter crashed Sunday, and the Lakers learned about it while flying home from an East Coast road trip. LeBron James and several other players appeared to be visibly affected by the news when they got off the plane.

The Lakers organization hasn’t made a public statement about Bryant’s death, choosing to mourn in private. The 16-time NBA champion franchise made grief counselors available to employees Monday after the loss of Bryant, who spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Lakers.

Lakers owner Jeanie

Buss was quite close to Bryant, and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka was Bryant’s agent during his playing career.

Dwight Howard is the only current Lakers player who played with Bryant for the franchise for one season back in 2012-13, but the players all knew him. James and Bryant teamed up on the U.S. Olympic teams in 2008 and 2012, and Anthony Davis played a backup role on that 2012 London Olympics team.

Bryant had attended a handful of Lakers games in recent years with his daughter, Gianna, who also died in the crash.

The NBA says the game between the Los Angeles rivals will be rescheduled later. The Lakers’ next game is Friday night at home against Portland.

MONDAY’S GAMES

Cavaliers 115, Pistons 100: Kevin Love scored all 20 of his points in the first half, and Cleveland beat host Detroit to snap a sevengame losing streak.