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Kobe Bryant Tribute At All-Star Game Goes Viral

Kobe Bryant Tribute At All-Star Game Goes Viral

Kobe Bryant Tribute At All-Star Game Goes Viral

The Kobe Bryant tribute at the All-Star Game went viral on Sunday night.

Although 2020 has been a decent one for competitive basketball as a whole, one tragic event has marred it over the past month.

That event is the death of Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant.

Bryant, his 13-year-old Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash on January 26. The entire group was traveling to a girls’ basketball outing at the Mamba Academy when the accident occurred.

Because Bryant was one of the most accomplished and beloved basketball players of all time, the NBA has been honoring him in recent weeks.

Seeing as Bryant was an 18-time NBA All-Star and four-time MVP of the All-Star game, this year’s outing began with an eight second moment of silence for him.

This move came on the heels of the NBA announcing a few days earlier that the All-Star Game MVP Award was being renamed in honor of Bryant.

“We were thinking about what the best way is, one of the ways to honor Kobe,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said.

“It happened to be that his loss came shortly before we were moving into All-Star festivities.

“I think one of the things that stands out with Kobe, of course in addition to his five championships, is that he has [made 18 All-Star teams] and tied for the record of four MVPs.

“To all of us, it seemed like the appropriate way to bring honor to him.”

It remains to be seen if the NBA honors Bryant in any other ways over the next few months.

Related: Chris Paul Dunks For First Time In 5 Years During All-Star Game

Jennifer Withers Hoey

Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.

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