The Rockets and Nuggets stood in silence before tipping off in Denver. It was one of the first games after news broke early on Sunday that Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash, and eight games went ahead that night as scheduled.
What came next was a pattern. Team after team opened with a deliberate violation. Bryant wore number 8 for the first nine years of his career, then number 24 for the rest, so players burned either an 8-second backcourt clock or a 24-second shot clock.
Violations across the league
In San Antonio, the Raptors and Spurs both took shot clock violations to begin the game. The Raptors posted: “Pausing to remember a great one, gone too soon.”
In Atlanta, the Hawks and Wizards held a moment of silence first. Then the Hawks took an 8-second violation and the Wizards a 24-second one. Hawks guard Trae Young started in a No. 8 jersey. Young was one of Gianna Bryant’s favorite players, and she had been to three NBA games that season, two of them involving him.
At Madison Square Garden, lit in purple and gold, the Knicks and Nets paused for silence and then took 24-second violations. In the fourth quarter, “Kobe” chants broke out in the building.
In Orlando, the Clippers ended their Grammy road trip with a heavy heart. Their game opened with a 24-second and an 8-second violation, which the team called “24 and 8 for No. 24 and No. 8.” The Pelicans and their opponent took a 24-second violation too. In the G League, the Wisconsin Herd and Stockton Kings did the same, as did the Santa Cruz Warriors and South Bay Lakers.
Sneakers and the family
Players also spoke through their shoes. Montrezl Harrell, Devin Booker, Isaiah Thomas, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart wore messages for Kobe and Gianna. All of the Pelicans took the court for the national anthem in Kobe’s Nike sneakers.
Gianna, 13, was on the helicopter, along with seven other passengers. None of them survived.
For most players on current rosters, Bryant was an idol and role model. Coaches, executives and former players, in the words of Sporting News, respected “his super-competitive drive and will to win.”
