Tag: Kobe Bryant death

Chris Paul will miss Monday’s game vs. Mavs for personal reasons

According to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, Paul is not with the team and Billy Donovan did not want to elaborate on their conversation.

The NBA went on as scheduled on Sunday after the shocking news about the death of Kobe Bryant broke.

Multiple players were obviously emotional, struggling to hold back tears as they took the court.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were off on Sunday but return to action against the Mavericks on Monday. However, Chris Paul won’t be with them.

According to Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, the latest injury report lists Paul as out due to personal reasons.

Paul is not with the team in Oklahoma City, and per Joe Mussatto, Thunder head coach Billy Donovan did not want to elaborate on the conversation that he had with his point guard.

Paul was a close friend of Bryant.

In a postgame interview following the last game Paul played against Bryant in 2016, Paul said that the thing he’d remember most about Kobe was his competitiveness, saying “everybody don’t play like that.”

Kobe Bryant died on Sunday morning, along with his daughter Gianna, and seven others when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed in Calabasas, Calif.

Georgia football greats take to social media after Kobe Bryant’s tragic death

Georgia football and basketball players took to social media to react to the news of Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant’s tragic passing.

The world went quiet on Sunday when news struck that a helicopter carrying NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna (13) and nine others had crashed, leaving everybody on board dead.

Bryant, aside from being an all-time great in the sport of basketball, was one of the most iconic athletes of the 21st century. If you ever played a sport, regardless of which one, you likely idolized Bryant.

I played soccer growing up, a sport Bryant was very fond of. And before every game, it was a Kobe Bryant highlight video that got my blood pumping. I did not watch the video solely for his basketball skill, but because of the passion that was visibly pouring out of #8 or #24 in every play he made. Kobe was more than just a great basketball player, but it was his leadership, his drive, his never-quit mindset that would remind me to leave it all on the field every single game.

It was that Mama Mentality.

And that’s what was so inspiring about Kobe – that’s what touched all of us more than anything. To every athlete, no matter the sport, we can all learn something from the way Kobe approached life, how he valued time with his family and how we was laser-focused on becoming the best basketball player he could could possibly be from day one.

On Sunday, current and former Georgia football and basketball players felt the shockwaves of Bryant’s death and were obviously emotional. Many took to social media to honor the Black Mamba.

These are players who, like many of us, used Kobe as motivation to go to the gym when they really did not want to. They looked up to Kobe for how he commanded respect from anybody he played with or against. These are all players who wanted to strike fear in the opposition the way Kobe did 82 times a year.

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The People’s Champ.

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‘78 .. 💔

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🖤🖤🐐

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Damn!!! Rip 🐐

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Geno Atkins enjoys another milestone surrounded with family.

 

Kendrick Perkins apologizes to KD: ‘I’m sorry bro’, ‘I love you’

Kendrick Perkins apologized to former Thunder teammate Kevin Durant on Twitter Sunday following the news of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death.

In the wake of the news of Kobe Bryant’s death, the sentiment was shared across social media to take the time to let your loved ones know how much you care. To let grudges go. To forgive people for their mistakes, and ask forgiveness for your own.

Jay Williams may have summed it up best during his emotional tribute to Kobe on ESPN, imploring people to move past the little things.

Today’s a tough day. Today’s a hard day. I hope that everybody at home, you give that person next to you — whatever thing you have wrong in your life with them, it might be small or big — let that s–t go. It doesn’t matter,” Williams. “None of that stuff matters, man. This is about life and being precious with every damn second we have here.

It wasn’t just the “people at home”. The death of his friend moved Kendrick Perkins to try and mend fences with former teammate Kevin Durant.

Perkins tweeted out his apology on Sunday afternoon just hours after the initial news about Kobe’s helicopter crash broke.

Just wanted to tell you I Love you my brother and whatever I did to hurt you I’m sorry bro and hope you forgive me!!! I love you bro real Talk! @KDTrey5.

Perkins added in an additional tweet several hours later the Bryant, “would’ve wanted us to move past our differences”, and said his new life motto is “what would Kobe do?”

My new motto with everything is, What Would Kobe do? He’d want us to focus more on the loss of his daughter. He’d want us to get past differences with our brothers and move on. He’d never want the game to be cancelled or be stopped. He’d want us to keep going! #RIPKOBE

Perkins and his former Thunder teammate got into a Twitter feud earlier this month that started over Perkins calling Russell Westbrook “the best player to put on an Oklahoma City Thunder jersey”, implying that Durant lost the right to that title when he left OKC for Golden State following the 2016 season.

Perkins also updated his profile picture to one of him and Bryant, with his arm around Kobe.

Kobe, his daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed when their helicopter crashed 40 miles outside of Los Angeles on Sunday morning.

As of this writing, Durant has not publicly responded to Perkins’ apology.

Kobe Bryant’s lasting impact on the Oklahoma City Thunder

How Kobe Bryant and the playoff series his Lakers played against the Thunder helped establish a successful Oklahoma City organization.

Without Kobe Bryant, there wouldn’t be the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder would still exist as an organization, of course, it’s not like Bryant single-handedly built the franchise. But without Kobe, Oklahoma City wouldn’t be where they are today.

Kobe’s Lakers were the measuring stick of the NBA during the 2000s. The team that every other team wanted to be. The team that every other team wanted to beat.

Oklahoma City included.

The Thunder were still in their infancy, having just moved from Seattle in 2008. The next year, they fell to the Lakers, 4-2, in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs.

As Erik Horne of The Athletic observed, it was the postseason battles between the Thunder and the Lakers that helped Oklahoma City grow into a contender.

The first playoff win against Bryant and the Lakers, 101-96 in Game 3, birthed belief. Bryant was a measuring stick for so many of the Thunder’s young players, with Durant chasing Bryant to become the best scorer in the league. Westbrook and Harden, Los Angeles natives, were competing every possession against the guard who reigned over their city during their childhood.

The Thunder weren’t ready yet. Bryant knew they were coming, calling Durant and Westbrook a couple of bad mf’ers. During the series, Bryant had to turn his defensive attention to Westbrook, the ultimate sign of respect.

“It’s going to be an enjoyable matchup for the next several years,” Bryant said in 2010. “We look forward to these types of challenges.”

The two teams met again in the conference semifinals in 2012, with Oklahoma City advancing 4-1.

Though they lost to the Heat in the NBA Finals, they made the playoffs six of the next seven years.

The teams that played against Bryant’s Lakers are gone. The Thunder are a different organization now. But Oklahoma City will have always have the lessons that Kobe Bryant taught them. And the franchise is better for it.

Jamal Adams plays in Pro Bowl with Kobe Bryant on his mind

New York Jets safety Jamal Adams held back tears as he played in his second carer Pro Bowl following the tragic death of Kobe Bryant.

Jamal Adams woke up on Sunday morning ready to embark on the second Pro Bowl of his career.

Before the game could start though, the Jets safety — like the rest of the world — found himself in a state of shock. Prior to the exhibition, Adams, along with his teammates, found out that basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, were among several people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Sunday morning.

None of it felt real to anybody, a legend lost at the age of 41, along with his 13-year-old daughter. Any games on the docket — whether it be the Pro Bowl or the NBA’s full slate — felt pointless in playing.

Before the Pro Bowl, there was a moment of silence held for Bryant. The crowd then erupted in chants of “Kobe.” Like the rest of the athletes in America playing today, the task in front of them was the last thing on their minds. Adams, who idolized Bryant, hardly had time to grieve.

“None of this feels real,” Adams tweeted following the Pro Bowl. “It was so hard to walk out on the field & play football today. Had a lot of tears. A man I watched every single day growing up is gone. I don’t even know how to deal with this. I’m praying for everyone, especially the Bryant family. This is devastating.”

Hurt and emotional, Adams played in the AFC’s 38-33 win over the NFC in Orlando, Fla. During the game, he symbolized Bryant’s No. 24 with his fingers. Adams held up two fingers on his right hand and four fingers on his left, a somber and blank stare on his face.

Bryant is the reason for Adams’ intense win at all costs mentality, the safety said on Twitter. That is a reference to Bryant’s famous Mamba Mentality, which made the Lakers legend one of the fiercest competitors in sports history.

“To sum up what Mamba Mentality is, it means to be able to constantly try to be the best version of yourself,” Bryant said in a 2016 interview.

“That is what the Mentality is,” he added. “It’s a constant quest to try to be better today than you were yesterday.”

Adams has always played with a similar chip, which could be seen in flashes on Sunday. While most players would take it easy in the Pro Bowl, Adams delivered a blow to New Orleans Saints TE Jared Cook.

Treating every game like it means everything is the exact same approach that Bryant took when he was named the NBA All-Star Game MVP on four separate occasions. Adams finished Sunday’s game with three tackles, not quite following up his 2018 Pro Bowl performance that earned him the Defensive MVP award.

Adams has gotten better each and every season that he’s been in New York, though. He was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl this season and was named a first-team All-Pro selection for his transcendent play in 2019.

Still processing the loss of an icon, Adams posted an image of Bryant with a quote from the future Hall of Famer.

“I can’t relate to lazy people,” the graphic read. “We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you.”

It was a perfect summary of Bryant, as well as Adams.

OKC: Words can’t express ‘shock and sadness’ of Kobe Bryant’s death

The Thunder released a statement Sunday evening expressing condolences on the death of Kobe Bryant and the victims of the helicopter crash.

The death of former NBA superstar, Kobe Bryant, sent shockwaves around the world on Sunday morning.

There was an immediate outpouring of grief and disbelief, followed by sympathies and tributes to the late Lakers star.

As did the rest of the teams in the league, the Oklahoma City Thunder expressed their condolences over the untimely passing of Bryant on Sunday morning, releasing a statement on his tragic death later in the afternoon:

“No words can adequately express the shock and sadness the NBA family is feeling. Kobe was an icon, a person who embodied greatness in so many ways. He pushed the game of basketball to new heights with a passion for the game that he shared with fans across the globe for decades. We send our thoughts and prayers to the Bryant family and all those who were lost in today’s tragedy.”

Second-year Thunder guard Deonte Burton also paid his respects to Bryant on Sunday, tweeting out his disbelief and wish for Bryant to rest in peace.

The final road game of Bryant’s career was in Oklahoma City, a 112-79 loss to the Thunder.

In that game, Russell Westbrook went for a triple-double before halftime, with Bryant ending the night with 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field.

Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. on Sunday morning, along with his daughter, Gianna Maria, and seven others, including the pilot.

The NTSB has not released the cause of the crash. The investigation is still ongoing.

Deonte Burton reacts to Kobe Bryant’s tragic death

Burton was one of many players to tweet his disbelief at the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, along with four others, in a helicopter crash.

The news of the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna Maria, devastated those in the NBA community and beyond on Sunday.

Bryant and his daughter, along with three others, were killed when their helicopter crashed in Calabasas, Calif. around 10 a.m. local time on Sunday morning.

Bryant was a superstar during his 20-year career, and his influence was still felt throughout the league even after his retirement following the 2015-16 season.

Many of the younger players in the league grew up watching Kobe and the Lakers, attributing their dreams of playing in the NBA to Bryant.

Reaction from fans, friends, and players has been rampant on social media.

Second-year Oklahoma City guard, Deonte Burton took to Twitter to express his condolences and shock, tweeting “@kobebryant I love you forever! You will always be apart of me and the basketball culture #rip my idol 😢😢😢I’m in total disbelief.”

The Thunder are off on Sunday, they return to action on Monday against the Dallas Mavericks.

OKC Thunder Wire will continue to update this story as it develops.

Ohio State personalities and Buckeye Nation pay tribute to Kobe Bryant, react to passing

Hardly ever do we dive into things not tied to Ohio State here on Buckeyes Wire, but some things transcend scarlet and gray and reach down into life themselves. Some athletes and icons are bigger than us all. Kobe Bryant is one of those figures. By …

Hardly ever do we dive into things not tied to Ohio State here on Buckeyes Wire, but some things transcend scarlet and gray and reach down into life themselves. Some athletes and icons are bigger than us all.

Kobe Bryant is one of those figures.

By now you know the tragic news that we are all faced with this Sunday. Kobe Bryant, his 13-yr. old daughter Gianna, and three others died in a helicopter crash just north of the Los Angeles area Sunday morning in Calabasas, California.

Naturally, for one of the best basketball players to ever play the game, many are expressing disbelief, grief, and paying tribute to the Black Mamba.

Ohio State is no different. Here are some tweets from those considered a part of Buckeye Nation. Rest In Peace Kobe, and we’ll just leave these Tweets here out of respect.

Next … Tweet reactions from Buckeye Nation on Kobe Bryant’s passing

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