This week has been nothing short of a nightmare for the Los Angeles Lakers organization, losing lifelong Laker and retired superstar shooting guard Kobe Bryant, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26.
The Lakers, and the whole NBA, have searched for ways to honor the legacy and memory of the Bryants.
With that said, the Lakers will leave Kobe and Gianna Bryant's courtside seats empty on Friday as L.A. plays their first game since Sunday's horrific accident (per the Los Angeles Times' Tania Ganguli).
These were the seats in which Kobe and Gigi Bryant sat when they came to watch the Lakers play the Mavericks this season. They’ll be left empty tonight. pic.twitter.com/uTsArzqjT8
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) February 1, 2020
#GirlDad pic.twitter.com/vAdwfoKcJh
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 1, 2020
The NBA previously canceled and postponed the Lakers' matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center this week, which was supposed to occur on Tuesday.
However, with the entire Lakers organization — from players, coaches, and franchise officials — still grieving the Bryants' loss, the league pushed back the contest. The Clippers, instead, played the next game in the arena Kobe built, losing on Thursday to the Sacramento Kings in an emotional night for the team.
Los Angeles gets their chance to play at home in front of an equally mourning crowd, trying their best to focus on basketball in spite of the very obvious loss affecting both team and Angelenos.
The Purple and Gold plan to wear patches with “KB” written on them to honor Kobe Bryant along with the “8” and “24” number decals on the floor, just like during Bryant's farewell game in April 2016 where he scored 60 points on 50 field-goal attempts.
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