The Los Angeles Lakers will honor franchise icon Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, for their Aug. 24 game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Lakers have a 2-1 edge in the first-round series as Game 4 approaches (9 ET, NBA League Pass). The Lakers will wear their “Black Mamba” jerseys in honor of Kobe Bryant and will also have a special patch bearing the number 2 in a heart to honor Gianna Bryant.
Kobe Bryant, the 18-time All-Star who won five NBA championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Lakers, died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020. He was 41 and what would have been his 42nd birthday was Aug. 23.
The Aug. 24 date is significant because the numerical month that corresponds to August (8) and the day (24) are the two numbers Bryant wore during his Hall of Fame career with the Lakers.
Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was also killed in that January helicopter crash along with seven others on board. She was known for wearing the No. 2 during her burgeoning basketball career. In the 2020 All-Star Game, Team LeBron (No. 2) and Team Giannis (No. 24) honored Kobe and Gianna by having every player on those respective teams wear those uniform numbers.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
