After LeBron James spoke at the first game for the Los Angeles Lakers after Kobe Bryant’s death, it would have been unfair to expect him to stand in the Staples Center again as people from all over the world of basketball, entertainment and Los Angeles came to pay tribute to a fallen icon and his daughter, Gianna Bryant, an icon in her early stages. Among the emotional tributes given at Monday’s memorial were Kobe’s wife Vannessa, WNBA star Diana Taurasi, Oregon women’s star Sabrina Ionescu, UCONN women’s head coach Geno Auriemma, Michael Jordan, and Shaquille O’Neal.
Although LeBron did not appear in the crowd, several other NBA dignitaries, including Anthony Davis, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and commissioner Adam Silver were there to honor the life of Kobe Bryant. Taurasi even brought some classic Kobe vs. LeBron humor to the table when suggesting that Gianna Bryant had a better fadeaway jumper than the King.
Altogether, the celebration of life was beautiful and will likely be savored for a long time to come.
