The Lakers celebrated the lives of Kobe and Gianna Bryant during an emotional pregame ceremony on Friday night before a game against the Trail Blazers, and LeBron James delivered a speech to the crowd before tipoff.
James began his speech by reading the names of the nine people who lost their lives in the tragic crash, and then threw out his script for the speech and spoke from the heart.
.@KingJames gives a heartfelt speech during the Lakers' pregame ceremony. pic.twitter.com/BsYO0NlxIP
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 1, 2020
“The first thing that comes to mind is all about family. And as I look around this arena, we’re all grieving. We’re all hurt. We’re all heartbroken. When we’re going through things like this, the best thing you can do is lean on the shoulders of your family.
…. I want to continue along with my teammates and continue his legacy, not only for this year, for as long as we can play this game of basketball that we love, because that’s what Kobe Bryant would want.”
The Lakers played a emotional tribute video to Bryant during the pregame ceremonies.
The Lakers' tribute to Kobe Bryant 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/jI0wwlSqhk
— ESPN (@espn) February 1, 2020
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