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Teams continue to honor Kobe Bryant with variety of tributes

News Service
09:46 - 28/01/2020 Tuesday
Update: 09:47 - 28/01/2020 Tuesday
REUTERS
Jan 27, 2020; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; The Minnesota Timberwolves held a memorial for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna before the game with the Sacramento Kings at Target Center / Bruce Kluckhohn -USA TODAY Sport
Jan 27, 2020; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; The Minnesota Timberwolves held a memorial for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna before the game with the Sacramento Kings at Target Center / Bruce Kluckhohn -USA TODAY Sport

The tributes to Kobe Bryant continued through the NBA on Monday, with perhaps the most poignant moment taking place in Minnesota.

After the Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns sent the opening tip against the Sacramento Kings to teammate Andrew Wiggins, Wiggins placed the ball on the free-throw line as the team took an 8-second violation.

It was at that line where Bryant made two free throws in 2014 to pass Michael Jordan and move to No. 3 on the NBA's all-time scoring list. The night before Bryant died, the Lakers' LeBron James passed Bryant to move to the No. 3 slot on that same list.

Bryant, 41, was one of nine people killed Sunday when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed in Calabasas, Calif. His 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, also was among those who perished.

In Detroit, the Pistons opened the first game of the day by taking the floor during warmups wearing jerseys with the Nos. 8 and 24 -- the two numbers Bryant wore in his career -- and the name "BRYANT" on the back, and wearing them during 24 seconds of silence before the game.

The teams then traded 24- and 8-second violations to start the game, similar to what teams did Sunday after learning of Bryant's death.

The Cavaliers' Larry Nance Jr., a teammate with Bryant as a rookie in 2015-16, could been seen with tears in his eyes while sitting on the bench after the violations.

In Chicago, the Bulls took an 8-second violation to start the game, and San Antonio returned the favor by taking a 24-second violation. The Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder did the same in OKC.

Among the tributes on Sunday was Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's announcement that his club would retire the No. 24 in Bryant's honor.

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4 years ago