Harden, Westbrook honor ‘Kobe Bryant Day’ before Game 4

Houston’s All-Star guards entered Monday’s Game 4 wearing special Kobe Bryant apparel to represent his day (based on jersey numbers).

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Houston Rockets superstars and Los Angeles natives James Harden and Russell Westbrook honored “Kobe Bryant Day” by wearing special apparel prior to Game 4 of their playoff series versus Oklahoma City.

A 2016 Los Angeles City Council resolution declared Aug. 24 as Kobe Bryant Day in perpetuity, based on the two jersey numbers (8 and 24) he wore with the Lakers. Monday is the first such day following Bryant’s tragic death earlier this year in a helicopter crash.

Coincidentally, it’s also a day after Bryant’s Aug. 23 birthday, which Harden honored Sunday by wearing custom shoes at his team’s practice.

Harden and Westbrook grew up in Los Angeles, and their rise to NBA stardom overlapped with the end of Bryant’s 20-year career. As such, after growing up as fans, both eventually became close with Bryant.

Harden, Westbrook, and P.J. Tucker all attended Bryant’s memorial service in February. More recently, after last Thursday’s Game 2, Harden was asked how much he still thinks about Bryant. He responded:

I think about Kobe all the time. His presence alone, he made you feel him. He impacted so many people with the game of basketball. His competitive nature, his spirit was unbelievable.

We all miss him. He was like a role model to me. I looked up to him as a basketball player when I was younger, growing up in LA. And then as he got older, on his way out of the league, he kind of became a real mentor — you know, outside of basketball, in the business world. That’s where our relationship really grew.

Game 4 between the Rockets and Thunder tips off at 3:00 p.m. Central on Monday, with a national broadcast on TNT and a regional version (with Houston announcers) on AT&T SportsNet Southwest.

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