The Philadelphia 76ers played their first game Tuesday since the shocking passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant against the Golden State Warriors and they honored the fallen superstar the right way.
There were plenty of tributes to Bryant that had everybody emotional, but nothing seemed more heartfelt until superstar big man Joel Embiid returned to the floor for the first time after missing nine games and he threw on the number 24 jersey to honor his hero as a kid.
Embiid tweeted out on Sunday that Bryant was the reason he even got into basketball so that makes it even tougher and more emotional to go through for a person who meant so much to him. Usually, the number 24 is retired in Sixers history in honor of the great Bobby Jones, but Embiid called ahead and asked for permission.
Joel Embiid was approved to wear #24 tonight, in honor of Kobe Bryant. pic.twitter.com/OPcWsEBSU2
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 29, 2020
The Sixers are all going through an emotional time as Tobias Harris even wrote a message about both Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, on his shoes to make sure he has him in his heart.
Philadelphia and Golden State then started the game with 8-second and 24-second shot clock violations in honor of Bryant’s uniform numbers in the NBA. [lawrence-related id=24426,24416,24405]