Tag: Kobe Bryant death

WATCH: Lamar Jackson, Calais Campbell reflect on Kobe Bryant’s death at last year’s Pro Bowl

Several Ravens players, including Lamar Jackson and Calais Campbell, found out about Kobe Bryant’s death at the Pro Bowl a year ago today.

The entire sports world was shocked by the tragic death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. A year ago today, Bryant’s helicopter crashed, killing all eight passengers and the pilot, as they were headed to a youth basketball game.

Many can remember where they were when they heard the news. For several of the Baltimore Ravens, they were at the Pro Bowl when they found out. Current Ravens Calais Campbell and Lamar Jackson were mic’d up and were caught reflecting on their shock in the locker room and on the sideline.

Take a look back at how Bryant’s passing impacted the players.

Panthers WR Robby Anderson reflects on 1-year anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s death

2020 was a traumatic year for many people.

2020 was a traumatic year for many people. One could accurately describe the last 12 months as a literal triumph of death. While COVID-19 was already making its way around the globe, for some people the horrors began one year ago today.

On January 26, 2020 Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA. They were on their way to a girl’s basketball tournament. Bryant’s death shocked the sports world, including players around the NFL. On this anniversary, some are reflecting on it – including Panthers wide receiver Robby Anderson, who shared this.

Bryant was 41 at the time of his death and he will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in May along with Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.

As for Anderson, last year actually turned out pretty well – at least from a professional point of view. He posted career highs in catches (95), receiving yards (1,096) and catch rate (69.9%). Anderson has one season remaining on his two-year, $20 million contract but the Panthers should think about giving him an extension, which could free up more money in 2021 to keep around the likes of Curtis Samuel and Taylor Moton.

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Revisiting Kobe Bryant’s final interview a year ago

Kobe had so much to give.

It’s been nearly a year since Kobe Bryant’s untimely passing and it still doesn’t feel real.

Bryant still had so much more to give to the world. So much love. So much art. So much creativity. That was pretty evident after his last sit-down interview with USA Today’s Mark Medina.

In the piece above, Medina and other members of USAT’s staff go over what it was like to be in that moment and speak with Bryant for, what turned out to be, the final time.

In the original piece, Bryant discussed his future goals and ambitions with Medina while discussing life after basketball. He explored his passion for storytelling, his new beginning with Granity, his production company, and how he wanted to help develop the future of basketball at the Mamba Academy.

Bryant’s passions came through as clear as day. It makes you simultaneously sad for the work he left to be done yet excited for the foundation he’d already established.

The folks who participated in the project share more details and stories like that one in the video above.

 

Chris Paul posts touching Kobe tribute after All-Star Game victory

Paul shared a clip from a Kobe Bryant interview in which the late Lakers star discussed changes he wanted to see in future All-Star Games.

Chris Paul admitted that at times, the All-Star Game was tough.

Not because the best in the league were competing like it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals, but because they were playing, in part, in memory of Kobe Bryant.

The league made sure to honor the late Lakers great throughout the weekend. They renamed the MVP award to the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP Trophy, both Team Giannis and Team LeBron wore No. 24 and No. 2 jerseys for Kobe and his daughter Gianna, Magic Johnson delivered a eulogy and Jennifer Hudson sang. To name a few.

But it was Paul that pointed out that the best way that the NBA honored the legacy of Kobe is the way both teams competed in the All-Star Game.

And on Monday, Paul posted a touching tribute to Bryant, linking a video from a portion of an interview that Kobe gave on the Knuckleheads podcast back in September 2019.

You ALWAYS pushed us to be more competitive!!! I’m grateful to be in a position to make players voices heard and honor you as a fierce competitor. We’re ALL fans of the game after all!!! #MambaMentality

On the podcast, Bryant talked about improvements he had wanted to see in future All-Star Games and how he and Paul had discussed their ideas for possible changes.

“The All Star Game in general needs a little revamping, because it used to be competitive. Fans want to see the best pick-up game in the world…Me and CP used to talk all the time—I don’t think me and CP ever lost a game. And we used to look at each other and say OK, ‘Let’s go. 4th quarter, let’s go get em.”

The NBA announced changes to the All-Star Game format on Jan. 30, four days after Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

Among those changes was the new Elam ending that was suggested by Paul over the summer.

Paul said Sunday night that he was constantly checking with players throughout the game to see how they liked the format, with LeBron James telling USA Today that it was “extremely fun and a great way to end the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend”.

Love and Miss you Bean!! Was the first time I’ve played in the All-Star game without you. But one thing WE ALWAYS did was COMPETE!!! Hope we didn’t let you down!! #MambaMentality #Mambacita #ASW2020

In his 10th All-Star Game, Paul made a case for winning the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP, scoring a career-best 23 points to go along with six assists as Team LeBron defeated Team Giannis 157-155.

Paul’s return against the Kings: ‘Kobe wouldn’t have it any other way’

After missing Monday’s game against the Mavericks due to personal reasons, Chris Paul was back with the Thunder in Sacramento.

It’s what Kobe would have wanted.

That’s what Chris Paul told reporters after Wednesday night’s game in Sacramento.

In his first time talking to reporters since the news about Bryant’s death broke, Paul’s demeanor was subdued, his voice quiet when speaking about his close friend.

“Just you know, I feel for the families,” he said. “It’s a big loss for everybody. Probably the best thing I could’ve done is to get out there and play. Kobe wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Paul returned against the Kings after missing Monday’s game with the Mavericks due to personal reasons.

He didn’t have his best game of the season, scoring nine points while dishing out 10 assists and grabbing four rebounds. But that’s okay. The Thunder didn’t need him to.

Instead, Paul needed to be around his teammates, telling reporters, including Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, that the experience was “therapeutic”.

“It’s great when it’s a team effort like that,” Paul said of the win. “Everyone gets a chance to play and share the ball. It’s fun. Being back around them guys is therapeutic.”

Kobe’s teammate with the Lakers, Matt Barnes, talked to The Jump earlier on Wednesday about seeing Paul for the first time since Bryant’s death. He said that Paul was “crushed” by the news.

“Chris is a very emotional, wear his heart on his sleeve type of guy. So we had a moment, and we discussed, and we’re just in disbelief.”

Barnes said that Paul had taken time to see his family and was in L.A. when the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others occurred. According to Barnes, Paul was in town for his daughter’s recital and the accident was “just down the street” from where the recital took place.

On Wednesday night, in a moment of levity, Paul joked that Bryant would’ve been proud of Thunder rookie Lu Dort, who scored a career-high 23 points without tallying an assist.

“I actually told Dort toward the end of the game, Kobe probably would have been proud of him because he had 23 points and no assists,” Paul said. “Kobe was all about being aggressive and staying aggressive.”

Paul and the Thunder will continue their road trip on Friday night when Oklahoma City takes on the Phoenix Suns.

Preview: Thunder travel to take on Sacramento Kings

Oklahoma City heads to the West Coast on Wednesday night to play the Sacramento Kings who are looking for their third-straight win.

It might be the Oklahoma City Thunder who has built the reputation of the comeback kings, but its Sacramento that made NBA history with their win over the Timberwolves on Monday night.

Down by 27 at one point, the Kings trailed Minnesota by 17 with 2:49 left to play before mounting a furious rally that would see them send the game into overtime, eventually coming away with a 133-129 win.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, since play-by-play data started being tracked in 1996-96, NBA teams were 0-8,378 when trailing by 17 or more in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime.

Of course, Oklahoma City is already intimately familiar with the Kings’ ability to mount a comeback.

The last time these two played, Sacramento was down by 11 in the fourth quarter before coming back to beat OKC on a Bogdan Bogdanovic 3-pointer. Chris Paul was able to get off a shot at the buzzer but it was off the mark.

Paul missed Monday’s game against Dallas due to personal reasons just a day after the death of his close friend Kobe Bryant.

According to Erik Horne of The Athletic, Paul is back with the team in Sacramento and will address the media during postgame.

Paul penned an emotional goodbye to Bryant that he posted on his Instagram page earlier this week.

View this post on Instagram

I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully process it. My parents have always said everything happens for a reason and its in God’s plan. But this one is different. Broken fingers, torn Achilles, it didn’t matter. You overcame it all!! You were DIFFERENT! Sometimes we competed so hard against each other that you could never tell how I was always watching YOU!! I needed to see how much better I needed to get and how much harder I needed to work! The love you had for the game was nowhere near the love you had for YOUR girls!! All 5 of them!! And Gigi, who we had already prearranged her marriage with lil Chris, is as beautiful and feisty as she could ever be!!! As I’ve watched you in retirement, as happy as you’ve ever been, I’ve sat back and prayed and hoped that my baby girl will look at me the way Gigi looks at you!!! I Love You and will miss you with all my heart my brother!!! All my love to Vanessa and all the families during this time 🙏🏾 #Mamba4Life #Mambacita

A post shared by Chris Paul (@cp3) on

Tributes to the late Lakers star have been pouring in since the news of Bryant’s death broke Sunday afternoon.

Oklahoma City honored Bryant with a moment of silence before their game on Monday, and after tip-off, both the Mavericks and the Thunder took 8-second and 24-second violations in tribute.

Sacramento’s Buddy Hield, who wears No. 24, just announced on Wednesday that he will continue to wear the number to honor Bryant’s memory.

“I wanted to be like him, I wanted to work like him, run like him, put the shooting sleeve on like him,” Hield said following shootaround on Wednesday. “I feel like it would still be great to honor him by wearing his number. Unless the NBA says we can’t wear his number, I don’t see any reason.”

Oklahoma City and the Kings will tip-off at 9 p.m. CT in Sacramento.

Georgia basketball loses 4th straight SEC matchup at Missouri

Georgia men’s basketball team loses their 4th straight SEC matchup in Columbia, MO to Missouri. The Dawgs are now 11-9, 1-6 in SEC play.

The Georgia Bulldogs men’s basketball team dropped a close one Tuesday night in Columbia to the Missouri Tigers by a score of 72-69.

The Dawgs have now lost four straight games, all of them being to SEC opponents.

Georgia led by as many as 20 points in the second half, thanks to freshman guard Anthony Edwards scoring 23 points, leading all players on the night.  Senior guard Tyree Crump put up 13 for the Dawgs as well as freshman forward Toumani Camara tacking on another 12.

The Bulldogs came out hot offensively but skidded to a halt later in the second half, sparking an offensive run from the Tigers.  Missouri’s senior forward Reed Nikko capitalized on the Dawgs cold second half shooting, finishing with a career 13 points, 11 of them coming in the second half surge.

“Momentum is always up for grabs,” Tom Crean said in a postgame interview. “And in the second half, Reed Nikko took momentum from us. Reed Nikko changed the energy of the game for them.”

Nikko also had a game saving play, blocking Edwards while up two with only nine seconds left in regulation.

Three Missouri players scored in double digits with junior guard Dru Smith leading the Tigers with 16.

Missouri freshman forward Kobe Brown was emotional for this game.  Brown was named by his father after the late Kobe Bryant and wears number 24 after Bryant.  Following the tragic news of the NBA legend and his daughters passing, Brown talked about Kobe Bryant postgame.

“I was bummed,” said Brown. “It took a toll. I send my regards to all the families that were involved in the crash.”

What looked like a promising, potential NCAA Tournament season is now on the line with very slim chances of the Dawgs being alive in March.  According to TR Brackets, Georgia now has a 2.2% chance of making the tournament.  Losing the past 4 SEC games moves the Bulldogs to 11-9 on the season with a 1-6 record in conference play.

With a 2.2% chance being very unlikely, things aren’t looking good for the Dawg faithful … but you’re saying there’s a chance.

Georgia continues their late season SEC play this Saturday vs Texas A&M at home.  Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. EST on SEC Network.

Paul’s emotional goodbye to Kobe: ‘I’ll miss you with all my heart’

Chris Paul took to Instagram on Monday to post a heartfelt tribute to Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

Chris Paul finally broke his silence on the death of Kobe Bryant.

Like many others from around the NBA, Paul took to Instagram to post a heartfelt and emotional tribute to the former Lakers star.

Paul also posted a slideshow of pictures of himself with Kobe throughout the years.

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to fully process it. My parents have always said everything happens for a reason and its in God’s plan. But this one is different. Broken fingers, torn Achilles, it didn’t matter. You overcame it all!! You were DIFFERENT! Sometimes we competed so hard against each other that you could never tell how I was always watching YOU!! I needed to see how much better I needed to get and how much harder I needed to work! The love you had for the game was nowhere near the love you had for YOUR girls!! All 5 of them!! And Gigi, who we had already prearranged her marriage with lil Chris, is as beautiful and feisty as she could ever be!!! As I’ve watched you in retirement, as happy as you’ve ever been, I’ve sat back and prayed and hoped that my baby girl will look at me the way Gigi looks at you!!! I Love You and will miss you with all my heart my brother!!! All my love to Vanessa and all the families during this time 🙏🏾 #Mamba4Life #Mambacita

View this post on Instagram

I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully process it. My parents have always said everything happens for a reason and its in God’s plan. But this one is different. Broken fingers, torn Achilles, it didn’t matter. You overcame it all!! You were DIFFERENT! Sometimes we competed so hard against each other that you could never tell how I was always watching YOU!! I needed to see how much better I needed to get and how much harder I needed to work! The love you had for the game was nowhere near the love you had for YOUR girls!! All 5 of them!! And Gigi, who we had already prearranged her marriage with lil Chris, is as beautiful and feisty as she could ever be!!! As I’ve watched you in retirement, as happy as you’ve ever been, I’ve sat back and prayed and hoped that my baby girl will look at me the way Gigi looks at you!!! I Love You and will miss you with all my heart my brother!!! All my love to Vanessa and all the families during this time 🙏🏾 #Mamba4Life #Mambacita

A post shared by Chris Paul (@cp3) on

Paul did not play in Monday night’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks for personal reasons. Though Billy Donovan did not elaborate on the situation, many have assumed that Paul, who was not with the team, was grieving the loss of his friend.

Thousands of friends and fans have paid tribute to Kobe Bryant since the former NBA superstar was killed, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, in a helicopter crash on Sunday morning.

The Thunder took a 24-second violation on their opening possession on Monday to honor the No. 24 worn by Bryant in the second half of his career. The Mavs, who won the tip, took an 8-second violation to start the game, honor the No. 8 Kobe wore to start his career.

Paul has given no indication as to whether or not he will be back with the team for their game against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

OKC’s winning-streak snapped in 107-97 loss to Mavericks

Dennis Schroder got the start in place of Chris Paul and led the Thunder with 20 points. Three other players were in double-digits.

Oklahoma City had their five-game winning streak snapped on Monday night a 107-97 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

The evening featured multiple tributes to Kobe Bryant, who died on Sunday morning along with his daughter Gianna and seven others when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed 40 miles outside of Los Angeles.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wore a Kobe No. 8 home jersey into Chesapeake Energy Arena and both he and Dennis Schroder wore Kobes during pregame.

Multiple players paid tribute to Kobe with their shoes, either wearing Kobes or writing messages of condolences to Bryant, Gianna and the victims on the sides.

As the games did yesterday, Monday’s matchup between the Thunder and the Mavs started with a moment of silence, followed by violations on each team’s opening possession. Dallas won the tip and took an 8-second violation in honor of Kobe’s first number, followed by OKC, who took a 24-second shot clock violation to honor the number he wore at the end.

Chris Paul did not play on Monday night for personal reasons. He was not with the team and Billy Donovan did not elaborate on the situation surrounding his point guard. It was the first game he had missed all season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now the only player on the Thunder to start every game.

He scored 16 points on 5-of-20 shooting from the field, leading Donovan to tell reporters, including Erik Horne of The Athletic, “he didn’t have a great offensive night”.

Dennis Schroder got the starting nod and led OKC with 21 points. Danilo Gallinari and Deonte Burton were also in double-figures.

Nerlens Noel also returned to the rotation after missing Saturday’s game after surgery to repair a fractured cheek. Noel scored nine points in 19 minutes.

Mavs star Luca Doncic led all scorers with 29 as part of a double-double.

Oklahoma City is back in action on Wednesday when they head to the West Coast to take on the Sacramento Kings.

Thunder players pay tribute to Kobe Bryant

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wore Kobe’s No. 8 Lakers jersey to Chesapeake Energy Arena on Monday ahead of OKC’s game against the Mavericks.

Each player found his own way to honor the memory of Kobe Bryant.

By wearing his jersey into Chesapeake Energy Arena or a pair of his shoes for tonight’s game, Bryant will be present on Monday when the Oklahoma City Thunder tip-off against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Thunder honored Kobe this morning, displaying his picture on the outside of the arena.

Second-year guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came to tonight’s game wearing Bryant’s iconic No. 8 Lakers home jersey, and then wore a pair of Kobe’s during pregame.

Dennis Schroder also donned a pair of Kobe’s for warmups.

Billy Donovan spoke about the influence of Kobe Bryant and the impact the late Lakers star had on the current generation.

“He was an iconic player, true champion, true competitor who was incredibly passionate about being the very best he could be. He took his God-given ability and with his own drive took it to a different level.”

It’s not just the players who are honoring Bryant’s legacy.

According to Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, the staff inside Chesapeake Energy Arena is also wearing purple ribbons with a yellow pin to honor Bryant’s memory.