The Los Angels Lakers will pay tribute to former player and five time champion Kobe Bryant, who perished alongside his young daughter in a helicopter crash, in the first game since their tragic deaths.
Inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, the stadium seats have been covered in Bryant’s two iconic team jerseys -numbers eight and 24 – ahead of the anticipated Friday night game.
Two courtside seats will show Bryant’s 24 jersey next to his daughter, 13-year-old Gianna Bryant’s, number two jersey. A rose bouquet rests atop for each.
Bryant, 41, and Gianna died along with seven other passengers in a helicopter crash in Calabasas around 10am on January 26.
It’s reported that the group was heading towards the Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks for practice.
The Los Angeles Lakers will pay tribute to former team player Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna ‘Gigi’ Bryant, in their first game since the two died in a helicopter crash on January 26
Each seat in the Staples Center – totaling to 20,000 – has been covered with Bryant’s numbers eight and 24 jerseys in honor of the five-time champion. One section has number eight jerseys, while the other has 24.
Several grieving fans arrive outside the Staples Center on Friday night to honor Kobe Bryant in a heartbreaking tribute to the NBA legend and GiGi
The Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, which Bryant often traveled in, caught fire after it struck a hillside amid heavy fog in the area.
It was later revealed by authorities that helicopters were grounded that day, as weather ‘did not meet our standards.’
Audio revealed that air traffic control taken shortly before the crash told the pilot, Ara Zobayan, was ‘too low’ for radar tracking.
They’re missed: Kobe and Gianna were among the nine people who died in a tragic helicopter crash Sunday near Calabasas
On Friday, it was announced that 20,000 free Kobe Bryant tribute shirts would be given out to attendees during the game.
Seats at Friday’s game quickly became a hot commodity, with USA Today reporting that as of Thursday afternoon, tickets ranged from $780 and $6,534.
StubHub announced on Wednesday that they are donating profits from Friday’s game to the Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation.
StubHub general manager Akshay Khanna said: ‘In honor of Kobe and Gigi Bryant, all fees for the January 31st Lakers versus Portland Trailblazers game and the Lakers versus Clippers game – for whenever it is rescheduled – will be donated to the Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation.’
Additionally, the Lakers have by adding numbers eight and 24 to the court design and baseline. The players will also wear jersey patches of Bryant’s initials with the same design.
Gigi teammates from Mamba Sports Academy will also be in attendance for the game.
Staples Center has decorated the basketball court with a emblem of Kobe Bryant’s initial, as well a adding his numbers eight and 24 to the court design
Legends never die: The team has also put patches with Bryant’s initials on their jerseys and placed t-shirts with his name and number on the seats of the arena
Cellist Ben Hong practices for the Los Angeles Lakers pregame ceremony to honor Kobe Bryant before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center on Friday
The specifics of the scheduled tribute have not been revealed yet, but cellist Ben Hong was seen practicing for the pregame tribute.
Ahead of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers, current players and longtime friends are visibly shaken by the sudden news.
‘We want to represent what Kobe was about more than anything,’ Vogel told reporters at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo.
Saying goodbye: The marquee outside the Staples Center read, ‘Rest in peace Kobe and Gigi’ (his 13-year-old daughter Gianna also died in the crash)
Ink is forever: LeBron James revealed his new tattoo of a coiled snake, entwined with roses and teammate Kobe Bryant’s numbers ’24’ and ‘8,’ featuring the words ‘Mamba 4 Life’
‘We’ve always wanted to make him proud and that’s not going to be any different.’
Following Bryant’s death, the National Basketball Association cancelled a game scheduled at the Staple’s Center on Tuesday between the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers. It was said the Lakers needed time to grieve.
Team players LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been credited with helping the team manage their emotions.
James, 35, took to Instagram Friday to reveal his new tattoo in tribute to Bryant, who died Sunday in a helicopter crash at the age of 41.
The ink features a black coiled snake, entwined with roses and Bryant’s numbers ’24’ and ‘8,’ featuring the words ‘Mamba 4 Life.’
Bryant dubbed himself Black Mamba after he was charged with sexual assault in 2003, in attempt to separate his career from the backlash.
In 2014, he told The New Yorker: ‘The name [Kobe Bryant] just evokes such a negative emotion.
‘I said, “If I create this alter ego, so now when I play this is what’s coming out of your mouth, it separates the personal stuff, right?” You’re not watching David Banner — you’re watching the Hulk.’
James posted a photo of the tattoo Friday, along with a snap of himself resting his head on Bryant’s shoulder as they sat courtside, captioned: ‘My brother.’
The ink was visible on James’ left thigh Thursday in photos of him practicing with his teammates.
In loving memory: James took to Instagram Friday to reveal the tattoo, in tribute to his late teammate, who died tragically Sunday in a helicopter crash
Teammate Anthony Davis revealed that he’s getting new ink as well from the same artist, also sharing a boomerang of her work.
He’s yet to reveal the final product, but the video appears to show a set of wings in purple ink, the team’s color.