Kobe Bryant's Death Leads NBA to Postpone Lakers-Clippers Game out of Respect

The NBA has decided to postpone the hometown match between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers to provide the teams, their families, and fans with the time to mourn one of their local heroes and icons, Kobe Bryant.

The National Basketball League Communications department announced on January 27, 2020, that the game between the LA Lakers and LA Clippers scheduled for today, January 28, has been postponed.

Their decision was made out of respect for the Lakers organization, who is currently grieving the shocking and tragic loss of one of their legends, Kobe Bryant, and his daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash last Sunday.

Kobe Bryant played his entire 20-year NBA career with the LA Lakers, and his impact on the organization, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles makes it difficult for the team to continue playing the game as they are painfully grieving.

THE BASKETBALL COMMUNITY IS STUNNED

The news of Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s deaths shocked the entire world as the basketball community worldwide mourned the loss of one of the greatest players the NBA has ever had.

Kobe and GiGi were on the way to a basketball clinic in Thousand Oaks, California when their helicopter crashed in Calabasas. With them were seven others who also perished in the tragic accident.

THE INFLUENCE OF KOBE BRYANT

After finding out about the accident, fans created makeshift memorials for Kobe and his daughter, with thousands of fans providing flowers, jerseys, candles and other items to pay respects to their fallen hero.

Likewise, colleagues of Kobe from the league and its affiliates were left in tears because of the shocking news, many of them sharing tributes on social media, and some even creating petitions to change the NBA logo to Kobe’s figure.

WHAT HE MEANS TO THE LAKERS ORGANIZATION

Kobe Bryant played his entire 20-year NBA career with the LA Lakers, and his impact on the organization, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles makes it difficult for the team to continue playing the game as they are painfully grieving. The decision of the NBA to postpone the game was met with mixed emotions, as some fans purchased tickets to mourn during the match with the rest of the community.

Nonetheless, people from all over the world are coping in their own ways, and those closest to Kobe and Gianna Bryant are grieving in silence as they try to accept the painful reality.

Rest In Peace, Kobe and Gianna Bryant.