Philadelphia 76ers Honor Kobe Bryant, His Daughter, Other Helicopter Crash Victims In Pregame Tribute
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- In their first game since the tragic deaths of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others, the Philadelphia 76ers honored the Philadelphia native and the other victims prior to Tuesday night's game against the Golden State Warriors. In a pregame video montage, the team highlighted the accolades Bryant achieved during his NBA career.
A moment of silence was held for 33 seconds, which represents the number Bryant wore during his career at Lower Merion High School.
During the moment of silence, nine beams of light were present on the court to represent all nine lives that were lost in Sunday's helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
The Sixers notorious bell was rung nine times in honor of the victims following the moment of silence.
They also played a video of Bryant's last game in Philadelphia as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016.
During pregame warmups, Sixers players each wore a jersey with either number 8 or 24 with Bryant written on the back.
In a way to commemorate Bryant, All-Star center Joel Embiid reached out to Sixers legend Bobby Jones to wear No. 24 during Tuesday's game. Zhaire Smith also changed his number from 8 to 7 in honor of Bryant.
"I shared with Joel that Kobe, in addition to all that scoring, was a 12-time All-Defensive Player, I only made it 11 times, so there's a lot of defense that goes into that No. 24. I told Joel to play hard defense because that's what the No. 24 represents in my mind," Jones said.
Other players like Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris wrote Bryant and his daughter Gianna's name on their sneakers.
Just before tip-off, a "Kobe" chant erupted from the crowd.
As many teams in previous games had done, the Sixers and Warriors took eight- and 24-second violations to honor Bryant.
Kobe Bryant jerseys were spotted throughout the Wells Fargo Center.
One young fan says her brother introduced her to Kobe and she became an instant fan. She says it was really nice how the Sixers took a moment of silence to remember those who lost their lives during the helicopter crash on Sunday.
Isaiah Crudup, of South Jersey, says he grew up a Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson fan. He rooted for both of his favorite players to win when they played.
Crudup was at Kobe's last game in Philadephia.
"His last game he played in Philly, I actually watched him play that game here," Crudup said. "It was the craziest thing because the Sixers weren't having a good season and somehow they managed to beat the Lakers. I think it plays to the point that Kobe Bryant is one of those people who brought the best out of everybody so the Sixers brought their A-game even though they were having a terrible season. And in Kobe's final home game in Philly he couldn't get a win."
Marc Argentieri spoke about the positivity Kobe spread off the court.
"He was a true inspiration, he was a better humanitarian than he was a basketball player, gone too soon. We'll miss you. Thank you for the memories," Argentieri said.
