The emotional process of getting back to the basketball court for the Los Angeles Lakers continued on Friday night as the squad returned to an NBA floor under the lights for the first time since the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and seven others in a helicopter crash on Sunday. As part of the healing, LeBron James put it upon himself to give a pre-game speech to Lakers fans everywhere after having lost the player they had loved more than anyone else in their franchise’s history.
LeBron was emotional during various musical tributes to Kobe, including a rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’ from Usher.
Man, this is unbearable. pic.twitter.com/32prdtS2aw
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) February 1, 2020
LeBron then gave an emotional speech to the Staples Center, where he threw away his pre-written notes.
"I got something written down. They asked me to stay on course… Laker Nation, I would be selling y'all short if I read of this s**t, so I'm gonna go straight from the heart." đź’śđź’›
LeBron addresses Laker Nation#MambaForever #RIPKobe pic.twitter.com/EB7cVf4icm— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) February 1, 2020
LeBron promised to continue Kobe’s legacy and several of his Lakers teammates were moved emotionally during the pregame ceremonies. Things in the NBA, and with the Lakers, will never be the same. But LeBron made a commitment to lead the Lakers and the league into whatever what is next, something that Kobe would certainly appreciate.
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