28 January,2020 07:15 AM IST | Los Angeles | AFP
Los Angeles Lakers's Kobe Bryant hugs daughter Gianna on court during the warm-ups before the NBA All-Star Game in Toronto on February 14, 2016. AP/PTI
Los Angeles: The NBA grappled with the sudden death of league great Kobe Bryant, 41, on Sunday, players saying they felt sick to their stomach taking to the court without having ample time to absorb the shocking news.
A haunting moment of silence preceded the Houston Rockets's game against the Nuggets in Denver, which tipped off just hours after the helicopter crash in suburban Los Angeles in which Bryant and his daughter Gianna, 13, were among nine who perished.
Spurs honour Bryant
In San Antonio, where the Spurs hosted the reigning champions Toronto Raptors, both teams took 24-second shot-clock violations on their first possessions of the game in honour of Bryant, who wore the No. 24 in the later years of his career. And in a move that other NBA teams are also expected to adopt, the Dallas Mavericks announced that they were retiring the number 24 jersey.
Dwyane Wade
Several NBA stars said they were reluctant to step on the court after learning the news.
"Laker Nation, the game of basketball & our city, will never be the same without Kobe," former Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson tweeted.
All-time basketball great Michael Jordan said Bryant was "like a little brother" to him. "Words can't describe the pain I'm feeling," the former Chicago Bulls star said. "We used to talk often and I will miss those conversations very much."
Newly-retired Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade described Sunday as "one of the saddest days of my lifetime," adding that he couldn't believe Bryant was gone and that his family had been sharing Kobe stories all day.
"It seems like a bad dream that you just want to wake up from. It is a nightmare," he said. "It is not going to go away soon. We will weep forever."
Neymar dedicates goal
Brazilian football star Neymar paid tribute to Bryant after scoring for his French club side Paris Saint-Germain, making the No. 24 - Bryant's old shirt number - with his fingers.
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