Like many around the league, Lonzo Ball honored Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna prior to the Pelicans’ game Sunday evening. With news breaking just hours before the game, the Pelicans put together a handful of tributes to Bryant.
First, the team opted, as a group, to wear Kobe shoes during the pre-game introductions and during the team’s moment of silence. At the start of the game, the Pelicans and Celtics each took 24-second shot clock violations in honor of Bryant’s No. 24 jersey.
Prior to that, though, the players took the court for their pre-game warmups. It was there that Ball’s shoes were seen publicly for the first time. A constant wearer of Kobe shoes, Sunday’s version had notable modifications.
One shoe read “RIP Gianna” with an “8 24” beside it, signifying Bryant’s two jersey numbers in his career. The other shoe read “RIP Kobe.”
Josh Hart also honored Bryant with a message on his shoe stating “Legends live forever” in reference to Bryant.
As for Ball, growing up in Los Angeles during Bryant’s career led to him being inspired and motivated by the Black Mamba. An active follower of the Lakers in his years after retiring, Bryant talked about passing the torch to LeBron James and Lonzo Ball heading into last season.
Bryant’s passing will obviously leave a big hole in not only players born and raised in California but to the NBA as a whole.
