Kobe Bryant death: Pelicans pay tribute by wearing legend's shoes for national anthem

Legendary NBA player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna passed away in a tragic helicopter crash on Sunday. Both of them were reportedly travelling with seven other people, including a player and another parent. However, the news is not yet confirmed. The 41-year-old Lakers legend was heading to a basketball game when his helicopter crashed. The crash occurred during foggy weather conditions and is currently under investigation.

Kobe Bryant death: Pelicans pay tribute to Kobe Bryant by wearing his shoes for the national anthem

New Orleans Pelicans and Boston Celtics observed a 24-second silence for Kobe Bryant before the Celtics vs Pelicans game started. His shoes were brought in before the game and the Pelicans wore them for the national anthem. Lonzo Ball wrote 'RIP Gianna' and drew a heart alongside the numbers 8 and 24 on his shoes, honouring both Gianna and Kobe Bryant. Zion Williamson, who had his first career win, spoke about the impact Bryant had on him. 

Also read | Kobe Bryant daughter Gianna Bryant also killed in devastating helicopter crash: Report

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Kobe Bryant death: The Laker legend's NBA career

Kobe Bryant played with the Lakers for two decades, starting as an 18-year-old rookie in 1996. Bryant retired in 2016, third on the all-time NBA scoring list. He had five NBA championships to his name, winning NBA MVP in 2008. Bryant had a career average of 25 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. Kobe Bryant even paired up with LeBron James for the Olympics, winning the country two gold medals in 2008 and 2012 respectively. 

Also read | Kobe Bryant death: Jose Mourinho admired Lakers Legend's professionalism

Kobe Bryant death: The world pays tribute to the Black Mamba

Kobe Bryant fans gathered around Staples Center, where the Grammys were being held. Players like Dwyane Wade, DeMar DeRozan and Vince Carter spoke about the Black Mamba, remembering everything that they learnt from them. The San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors stopped their game to honour Kobe Bryant, committing a violation on 24 seconds. 24 was Bryant's jersey number for the second half of his career. Dallas Mavericks also paid a tribute to him, stating that no player will ever wear the 24 number jersey in his honour. 

Also read | Kobe Bryant death: Raptors, Spurs both take 24-second violations in honour of Lakers legend