LeBron is off script:
Goes “straight from heart” when discussing the late Kobe Bryant.
LOS ANGELES – The Lakers had just played a series of video tributes filled with Kobe Bryant highlight reels. It also featured a series of Bryant’s interviews that detailed his work ethic and mentality that achieved such results.
Moments later, LeBron James was called to center court. At that moment, James mirrored Bryant perfectly. James came through in the clutch. James did not hesitate to scrap the game plan and call up his own play. And James gave Lakers fans every reason to cheer with his words and actions.
“I got something written down. They asked me to stay on course, whatever the case may be,” James said before throwing away the playbook. “But Lakers Nation, I would be selling ya’ll short if I read off this. So I’m going to go straight from the heart.”
James spent the next four minutes inspiring a grieving fan base. First, James offered sympathies to all of the victims who died in a helicopter crash Jan. 26, including Bryant, his 13year-old daughter (Gianna) and the other seven victims (John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester and Ara Zobaya). Then, James called Lakers Nation “a family” after mostly spending most of his career hearing boos from those same people.
Then, James described Bryant in way that explains why a Jan. 31 sellout crowd belted out either “K-O-B-E” or “M-V-P” chants throughout his video tributes.
“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 everything, the countless hours, the determination to be as great as he could be,” James said. “Tonight we celebrate the kid 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.”
Sure, the Lakers still finished with a 127-119 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, but the highlight of the night for most on hand came when James went off script.
“I just decided for me personally, it was just about letting the words flow right from the heart,” James said. “Then they know what comes out, they know that they’re pure. It’s all truth to it. So it just happened in the spur of the moment.”
Because of that spontaneity, James accomplished a few things. He compelled Lakers fans to cheer louder. He galvanized his teammates. And he inspired his head coach.
“What he said was just beautiful,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “It was strong, and it represented who he is and really who we are as a team and an organization.”
James had often represented someone who could tackle adversity. He weathered the criticism for leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat as a free agent. In his second stint in Cleveland, James helped the Cavaliers overcome a 3-1 NBA Finals deficit in 2016 against a Golden State Warriors team that had set the NBA record for regular season wins. And James has become numb toward the constant micro-analyzing on social media.
Still, James never encountered adversity quite like this. He had just lost a player who had served as an idol, rival and mentor during various stages of his career. Bryant had just talked with him to congratulate him for surpassing him on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. So when Bryant unexpectedly died, James understandably struggled.
He leaned on his family and friends to grieve. He and the rest of the Lakers opted to postpone a game against the Clippers, and he declined to speak to reporters all week so he could compose himself.
On Jan. 31, he hung Bryant’s No. 24 jersey right next to his locker. James mimicked Bryant’s attire with an oversized jersey, a wide wristband on his forearms and a No. 24 warm-up shirt.
Then when James took the microphone, he spoke confidently and clearly about how he will make Bryant proud.
In what might become both therapeutic and painful, the Lakers will experience constant reminders of Bryant’s influence.
“Every game is going to be emotional,” said James, who wore a purple bracelet after practice Feb. 3, along with beads that matched Bryant’s jersey numbers (8, 24). “But time heals all, and it’s going to continue to help us every game.
“We’ll continue to lean on each other and lean on our crowd. Our crowd is going to be with us. We have to continue to push forward. That’s what he’d want us to do.”
More tributes await at the NBA All-Star Game in Chicago on Feb. 16. James said earlier his team will wear Gianna’s No. 2, a decision he made after consulting with his daughter, Zhuri. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and his team will wear Bryant’s No. 24. And both teams will wear jersey patches with nine stars, one for each victim.
“It’s both warming and difficult,” Vogel said. “Obviously, we want to continue to honor Kobe and Gigi forever, not just the rest of the season. But there’s also an element of, ‘It’s going to continue to be hard.’ In those moments, we have to pay homage as well to the visiting team while remaining focused on what we’re trying to do.”