The Boston Celtics took time out of their west coast road trip Monday to allow their players to make the trip to Staples Center for fallen Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant’s memorial service, and a few had thoughts to share about the event.
Head coach Brad Stevens felt the service was important for his players to have had the opportunity to attend, saying (via the Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy) ” … it was a great chance to reflect on what’s important, it was a great chance to mourn and celebrate.”
“But I think in a unique way, with all those people up there and the celebration they had, I thought it was uplifting … I think our guys really appreciated all the people that talked and the way that it was organized and ran.”
Eleven Celtics attended the event, including fourth-year shooting guard Jaylen Brown, former Bryant mentee Jayson Tatum, and even three coaches.
The Marietta native would later reflect on how Bryant’s friends, family, mentees and the wider NBA community came together at the event in his memory.
“It’s unfortunate that everybody comes together for stuff like that, an unfortunate event. But it was good to see people there,” said the Cal-Berkeley product. “Met a lot of people I didn’t know.”
In an event with numerous friends and family sharing memories of the Laker great, choosing a single example of what impacted them most in that sea of broken hearts would be a challenge for anyone, Brown included when asked that question.
Several current, former Celtics in attendance for Kobe Bryant memorial https://t.co/qdMFltlRjq
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) February 25, 2020
“Just the influence, the impact that somebody of that stature had was amazing,” noted the Georgian.
“I think he’ll continue to be celebrated, and he won’t be forgotten. It makes you think about how you want to be remembered when you’re gone. Definitely a blessing to be able to experience that, especially with my teammates, and big prayers up to Kobe and his family.”
With the memorial service over, the focus now shifts to the stretch run of what remains of the 2019-20 NBA season, how Kobe himself would likely see the situation given his hyper-competitive nature in life.
But the event was necessary to heal the wound rending the global NBA community, still grieving the luminescent life that was Bryant’s.
“It was good for closure, for peace of mind,” added Brown. “I’m glad we got to experience that.”
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