Los Angeles Lakers Honor Kobe Bryant’s Legacy By Giving Out 20,000 Number 8 And 24 Shirts
Every fan in attendance of Friday night’s (January 31) Los Angeles Lakers game against the Portland Trailblazers will receive a free Kobe Bryant tribute shirt.
Staples Center employees draped number 8 and 24 shirts on each seat, 20,000 in all with half the arena will get Kobe #8 shirts, the other half will get #24 shirts.
The gifts are just one part of the tribute the team is planning at Staples on Friday. The game will be the Lakers’ first since the sudden and tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna on Sunday.
According to the team, there will be a moment of silence, visual tributes to Kobe around the arena, and according to TMZ, players are considering addressing the crowd. The Lakers will also honor Kobe with his number 8 and 24 added to the court design as well as his initials on the baseline. The players will wear a jersey patch with the same design.
Kobe, Gianna, along with seven other people, were killed Sunday while taking a helicopter to the Mamba Academy for basketball practice in nearby Thousand Oaks. The aircraft crashed in Calabasas and killed everyone on board.