The Washington Wizards honored Kobe Bryant before Thursday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets in the team’s first home game since the NBA star’s death in a helicopter crash.
Players came out wearing No.8 and No. 24 — the numbers Bryant wore in his 20-year career — jerseys for the pre-game shootaround.
🗣 KOBE
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 30, 2020
8️⃣
2️⃣4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/sOK90RgH1M
The Wizards also aired a tribute video for Bryant, with John Wall, Bradley Beal and Scott Brooks among the featured speakers. After the video, Washington held a 24-second moment of silence.
Fans, some of whom were wearing Bryant jerseys, briefly broke out in a “Kobe” chant, as well.
The Wizards plan to auction off their warmups at a later date with the proceeds going to the MambaOnThree Fund, a charity aimed at helping the families of those who lost their loved ones in Sunday’s crash.
When the game started, the Wizards held the ball for an eight-second violation and then the Hornets held the ball for a 24-second violation.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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