After nearly a week of mourning and trying to come to grips with the passing of Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers got back to work on the basketball on Friday night. Despite the time away, it didn't make it any easier for LeBron James and his teammates to hold back the tears during a touching tribute by the team before taking on the Portland Trail Blazers.
James and the rest of his teammates were decked out in Kobe Bryant jerseys ahead of the clash with the Blazers. It didn't stop with just the jersey, however. The three-time NBA champion details what the players on the team decided to do to show their appreciation for their former colleague and Lakers legend.
“It was just to show our appreciation,” James said. “We were wearing the oversized jersey; we were wearing the wristband, we were wearing the shooting sleeve, we were wearing his shoes. We were just showing our appreciation and love that he gave us way before he knew us. We're brothers, and that's just what this is pretty much all about.”
After the unthinkable accident which ended the lives of Bryant, his daughter, and seven others, James was hit harder than most having passed the Lakers icon on the NBA's all-time scoring list the night before in Philadelphia. LeBron spoke with Kobe that night and has had a heavy heart ever since.
Along with shedding some light on the grief he's been dealing with this week, James also admitted that the last three years of Kobe's life were the happiest he had ever seen him. Bryant was able to spend the kind of time with his family that he never was able to during his Hall-of-Fame-caliber career, and he became the ideal father as a result.
“I think everybody is emotional tonight and we all have our individual reasons why emotion hits us,” LeBron said of Kobe's tragic passing. “We all have this brotherhood and this family and to be a part of this bigger organization which also naturally brings in even more emotion. For me, I was telling my wife a couple days ago that seeing Kobe play basketball for 20 years with the Lakers from when he was 18 to 38, I was like, you know what's crazy, is that the last three years, in all the success he had, five rings, the All-Star game MVPs, the MVP of the league, all-team everything, all-life, all-world, all-basketball, these last three years was the happiest I've ever seen him.”
Unfortunately for James and the Lakers organization, Los Angeles was unable to come out with the win on Friday night at the Staples Center. Damian Lillard proved to be too much to handle as he dropped 48 points on the grieving franchise. Anthony Davis was able to chip in with 37 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks, but it simply wasn't enough against this Blazers team.
The Lakers will now try to pick up the pieces and head north to take on Luke Walton's Sacramento Kings on Saturday. The grieving will continue, and there's no telling when this franchise will start to feel normal again, but staying active and together as they deal with this tragedy can only help the healing process.
Follow Us
Subscribe