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The entire NBA community is in a state of shock following the death of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. The tragedy occurred when Bryant’s private helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California. None of the passengers survived the crash.
Following the news of Bryant’s passing, the Trail Blazers released a statement on the subject:
“The entire Trail Blazers organization is shocked and devastated by the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. Kobe’s indelible mark on the NBA and the game of basketball globally will live on forever. Our prayers and condolences are with the Bryant family and the other families affected, the Los Angeles Lakers organization and all those that knew and loved Kobe.”
Sunday’s matchup between the Blazers and Pacers will continue as planned, but the players will not be available to the media beforehand.
The Blazers have announced that locker rooms will be closed before tipoff and there will be no pregame player availability for tonight’s game vs. the Pacers.
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) January 26, 2020
But the game will be played as scheduled.
For the NBA games that have already gotten underway in the aftermath of today’s tragedy, a trend has started to surface.
The Raptors and Spurs both took 24-second violations at the start of their game in honor of No. 24, Kobe Bryant.
— ESPN (@espn) January 26, 2020
The crowd gave a standing ovation along with Kobe chants. pic.twitter.com/C2VD5iZez9
Our thoughts are with the Bryant family.