It was an emotional night to begin the game on Tuesday as the Philadelphia 76ers were playing in their first matchup since the sudden passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. There was a very emotional and touching ceremony pregame that honored Bryant’s legacy to not only the NBA, but to Philadelphia in general due to his roots in the city.
The Sixers and the Golden State Warriors then began with 8-second and 24-second violations, respectively, in tribute to Bryant’s uniform numbers to begin the game. There were not starting lineup introductions or any fancy light shows like there usually are. It was just all in remembrance of Bryant and the game started slowly as the Sixers had a rough time getting going.
They trailed Golden State by as many as eight in the opening quarter and it seemed like the team took a while to get into this one. Then again, this was not a normal game by any stretch of the imagination.
“I really chose not to coach at the start,” said coach Brett Brown. “You felt like you’re cheapening the night. You obviously were trying to get us organized, but to come out and handle a game like you normally would handle a game, I would not be telling the truth if that’s how we started and that’s that.”
Brett Brown talks about the sluggish start to the game following the Kobe Bryant pregame ceremony #Sixers pic.twitter.com/fhxGYiM0Dh
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) January 29, 2020
The Sixers eventually did kick it into high gear and they led by as many as 16 on their way 115-104 win over the Warriors to improve to 22-2 at home. They were led by Joel Embiid who finished with 24 points and he scrapped his normal 21 jersey number to wear 24 in honor of his hero.
“It was tough,” said Embiid. “Kobe meant something different than anybody else. It was tough, but I know just looking at his career and what he was about, that Mamba Mentality, it was about outworking your opponent, and I know he would have wanted everybody to go out and compete and play the game and try to win. It was tough, but that’s how you honor him.”
The Sixers placed nine beams of light on the court and rang their ceremonial bell nine times tonight in remembrance of the nine lives lost in the helicopter crash, as well as honoring Kobe with a 33 second moment of silence, which was his Lower Merion number. pic.twitter.com/exctHsIAXU
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 29, 2020
The team can really begin to move on. The team can pick themselves up and they can continue to push forward. The best way to honor Bryant is to continue to play hard and compete and win the championship that they so desperately crave. [lawrence-related id=24426,24416,24387]