Several Boston Celtics players made the trip to Staples Center for Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s memorial service Monday before heading north to play the Portland Trailblazers.
Several Celtics players had ties to the longtime Celtics nemesis off the court, with players like forward Jayson Tatum and and swingman Gordon Hayward calling him a friend as well as mentor.
A month on from Bryant’s untimely demise in a helicopter accident on January 26, emotions were still running high, with even NBA legend Michael Jordan finding it difficult to maintain composure talking about his lost friend.
Many Boston players would share photos of their tickets to the memorial as a way to show support, including Jaylen Brown, Carsen Edwards, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, and Daniel Theis, reports Boston.com’s Nicole Yang.
Smart wrote in a post on Instagram that he’s still having trouble processing the loss, noting Kobe is “[g]one but never forgotten and always living on with us!”
Starting point guard Kemba Walker, reserve guard Brad Wanamaker and rookie forward Grant Williams were also in attendance.
Former Celtics Rajon Rondo, Bill Russell — who wore a Kobe Bryant Jersey to his former team’s contest against the Lakers Sunday — and Paul Pierce also attended.
The team recently adjusted their flight plans to make attendance possible for several players with interest in attending ahead of their trip to Portland to play the Trail Blazers, knowing many would like to have the opportunity to pay final respects to the NBA legend.
