Storyline: Kobe Bryant Memorial
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Bill Oram: LeBron said yesterday he was “emotionally a wreck like everyone else. It was a challenging day for all of us.” But he declined to say whether he attended the memorial. His biggest takeaway was “how strong and how bold Vanessa is to stand up there the way she did.”
Tomer Azarly: Paul George on Kobe Bryant memorial – “I’m not good with that kind of stuff, so I didn’t go, but I watched every second of it on TV. It’s just remarkable, his journey, his career, the people he touched… It’s on us to continue that legacy… I’m forever moved by it.” #Clippers
Tomer Azarly: Paul George on Kobe Bryant memorial – “I’m not good with that kind of stuff, so I didn’t go, but I watched every second of it on TV. It’s just remarkable, his journey, his career, the people he touched… It’s on us to continue that legacy… I’m forever moved by it.” #Clippers
Every detail for the event itself had been approved by Vanessa and the Bryant family, a source says. Just after 11 a.m. PT, Vanessa is introduced, and the crowd erupts, immediately rising to its feet. She has been widowed for 30 days, and she walks with a resolved stride toward the lectern.
A source close to the family says the most important thing to them was that the day focused not only on Kobe, but on Gianna — that she didn’t get lost in the mix. Vanessa opened by speaking about her daughter, and the next three speakers — Taurasi, Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu, UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma — were all from the sport Gianna loved and pursued.
Minutes after the ceremony ends, Shaquille O’Neal — who won three titles with Bryant, who warred with Bryant but then grew closer to him as they both aged — bounds out of his chair. As attendees make their way toward the exits, O’Neal approaches Bryant’s father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, who rises from his chair. The two embrace in a long hug.
“It’s just been a very heavy month. It’s everywhere,” Rivers said of Los Angeles, which has been grieving since the helicopter crash that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant and seven others on Jan. 26. “There’s days you get away from it — like, the games are great now because you’re focused on the games — but you know, it’s just … it’s broken or just broken-hearted. “It’s been a broken-hearted city. Probably something I’ve never seen before, ever, anywhere, and it’s still there a little bit, for sure. But today will help.”
“I don’t know how Vanessa did it,” said Rivers, who had dinner with Kobe Bryant, his friend and former adversary, in January. “I don’t know how that was possible. I thought Michael, like, if you could pick one representation of Kobe, they picked a perfect … he may have been the only choice, when you think about it. And his delivery was amazing, so there were so many good things.”
Trae Young: Kobe was my Jordan…🙇🏽♂️
Harry Giles: KOBE BRYANT ❤️🐍
Farbod Esnaashari: Michael Jordan’s final words in eulogizing Kobe Bryant: “I had a little brother that I tried to help in every way I could. Please, Rest In Peace, little brother.”
Marc J. Spears: “When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died,” Michael Jordan.
Mark Medina: Michael Jordan: “Kobe left nothing in the tank. He left it all on the floor.”
Farbod Esnaashari: Michael Jordan: “What Kobe Bryant was to me, was the inspiration that someone truly cared about the way I played the game. He wanted to be the best basketball player he could be. As I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother I could be.”
Mark Medina: Surreal. Rob Pelinka got a text from Kobe Bryant on the morning of Jan. 26 asking for any names of any baseball agents. Pelinka responded and Kobe explained he wanted to help a friend get an internship. Kobe sent that text on the helicopter
Mark Medina: Vanessa Bryant: “Gigi would’ve been the best player in the WNBA. She would’ve made a huge difference in women’s basketball.”
Kyle Goon: Diana Taurasi, the White Mamba, with a sizzling moment of levity while talking about Gigi: I mean who has a turnaround fade-away jumper at 11? LeBron just barely got one today. (Referencing LeBron’s shoot against Boston yesterday.)
Jeff Eisenband: Michael Jordan was the first person waiting for Vanessa Bryant as she came off the stage. pic.twitter.com/y0Kj08kFCs
Mark Medina: Others in building: Jeanie Buss, Phil Jackson, Shaq, Jerry West, Alex Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez, Rick Fox, Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook, Paul Pierce
Tim MacMahon: James Harden, Russell Westbrook and P.J. Tucker are attending the memorial service for Kobe and Gianna Bryant in Los Angeles. They plan to fly to Houston on a private jet after the service and play against the Knicks tonight.
Tim Reynolds: Kyrie Irving, Michael Phelps …
Duane Rankin: Devin Booker among the many former, current #NBA players in attendance. #Suns pic.twitter.com/58MBGgYl5o
Since his death at age 41, the nation has mourned the loss of the NBA Hall of Famer, who was an 18-time All-Star and 15-time member of the All-NBA Team. Bryant, Collins said, was one of his favorite professional basketball players. “I loved what he brought to the game,” he said. Collins, who has built customized designer caskets for roughly a decade over his 47 years, said social media led to what he called this humbling assignment. Through social networking, he said, a friend of Bryant’s family reached out to ask if Collins could create some type of memorial art to honor Kobe and the other victims.
“This is nothing people have ever seen. This is something I created,” Collins said from his work site off Collins Place on the edge of Elizabethtown. “And the whole vision behind it – I cannot take the pain away. I try to capture moments to bring back life, energy and the inspiration of the loved ones and their legacy.” The casket, which he said cost $13,000, was built over 3½ days. Donations helped cover the cost, and the names of those donors have been added to a picture of Bryant’s jersey that is meant to be part of the tribute memorial set.
On Monday morning, about 20,000 people — celebrities, athletes, family members, fans and friends — will fill Staples Center to honor Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, who were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 near Calabasas, Calif. The public memorial, called “A Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant,” is expected to run from about 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Pacific time, Zeidman said, followed by several invitation-only receptions. An undisclosed number of tickets were sold to the general public through a lottery. Those who were unable to purchase tickets will not be permitted access to L.A. Live, the entertainment complex adjacent to Staples Center. Officials are discouraging people from trying to congregate near the arena.
Los Angeles will come to a stop Monday to publicly memorialize Kobe and Gianna Bryant at the Staples Center. When Vanessa Bryant announced the pubic service on Instagram earlier this month, she pointed out the symbolism in the date: 2/24/20. Two for the number Gianna, aka “Mambacita,” wore. Twenty-four for the number Kobe wore during the second half of his career. And twenty, for the years Kobe and Vanessa spent together. Kobe and Gianna were buried in a private ceremony on Feb. 7, according to records.
It will be difficult to sum up the former Lakers star’s impact as the team prepares a memorial for Bryant and his daughter Gianna on Monday at Staples Center. “It’s hard in a two-minute, five-minute time to say everything he meant to the world, to the NBA and to basketball fans. He’s bigger than life,” Johnson said before the Lakers’ 114-112 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday at Staples Center. “And it will take years to get over his passing and his daughter and the seven other people who lost their lives as well.”
Thousands of Kobe and Gianna Bryant mourners are just hours away from packing Staples Center for a ceremony celebrating the Mamba and Mambacita’s lives … and TMZ Sports will livestream all of it. The event is expected to be incredibly moving and emotional. As we reported, the demand to attend the memorial was unprecedented. THOUSANDS of people applied for tickets — more than 88,000 just in the first 5 hours.
We’re told officials wrestled with the idea of moving the event to the L.A. Coliseum — which seats closer to 80,000 people — before ultimately settling on Staples. After all, it’s where Kobe played for 20 years and became a beloved figure in Los Angeles and around the world.
Logan Murdock: Steve Kerr says Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and GM Bob Myers will represent the Warriors at Kobe Bryant’s memorial on Monday in Los Angeles.
“We know it’s going to be hard to be in there and hearing all that stuff again, but it’s going to feel good as well,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of the memorial. “We’re going to honor Kobe and Gigi’s life the right way and it’s something that we’re all looking forward to, but understanding that it’s going to be hard.”
April 9, 2020 | 9:12 pm EDT Update
Gerald Bourguet: (5) Devin Booker beats (13) Rui Hachimura 71-55 in the quarterfinals of the NBA 2K Tournament. He’ll face the winner of (16) Derrick Jones Jr. and (8) Montrezl Harrell
Gerald Bourguet: (8) Montrezl Harrell beats (16) Derrick Jones Jr. 71-66 in the quarterfinals of the NBA 2K tournament, advancing to face (5) Devin Booker in the semis
Farbod Esnaashari: Montrezl Harrell and Derrick Jones Jr just showed more sportsmanship I’ve ever seen during an online game in my life. Jones: “Good game bro.” Trez: “Great game bro.” Jones: “Good luck in the next round.”
Will the NBA’s indefinite suspension limit what the Warriors do with the checkbook in the offseason? “We’re looking at all of those questions and the possible answers. But I don’t really have a good sense yet because I really have no idea how this is gonna shake out,” Lacob told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic on Thursday morning. “We don’t know what the salary cap is gonna be, we don’t know what the luxury tax is gonna be. We don’t really know what we can plan on at this point. We just have to look at a lot of different scenarios. That’s what we’re doing right now. It could make a huge difference, it might make no difference.”
Former Notre Dame High School star, and current Marshall Thundering Herd junior standout, Jarrod West has announced he’s entering the 2020 NBA Draft process.
As Illinois goes through this together, the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks, is proud to be playing a critical role with our city, state and federal response to the pandemic. As announced on March 25, our arena and outside campus will be transformed into a logistics hub where we will be assisting with food storage for hunger relief, first responder staging and the collection of critically needed medical supplies.
Moving forward, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago’s food bank, will be utilizing the United Center as a satellite storage facility in response to the increased need for food. By alleviating space in the food bank’s warehouse, the Food Depository can bring additional volunteers into their facility to build more family food boxes in an environment that adheres to social distancing protocols. These boxes will continue to be distributed to those in need by the Food Depository’s partner network throughout Chicago and Cook County.
April 9, 2020 | 7:56 pm EDT Update
Pau Gasol contemplating retirement
With the league’s current campaign suspended indefinitely due to the global outbreak of the coronavirus, Gasol, who will turn 40 years old in July, is contemplating retirement at this point of his career. “With this recovery process and the injury that I have been dealing with for more than a year, it’s undoubtedly inevitable to think about retirement,” Gasol said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El País, via NBC Sports. “Also, taking into account that I will be 40 years old in a few months. So, [retirement] is definitely on my mind.”
“It’s something that will come one time, sooner or later,” Gasol said of retirement. “We hope that time hasn’t come yet. But I also take the opportunity to focus on the Gasol Foundation and other off-court projects. And also think of what my next professional stage may be, my next challenges. All this while I’m still recovering, trying to give myself a chance to keep playing. Now, the priority is to overcome this pandemic among all. Everything else is completely secondary.”
The masks are among those Fanatics recently made at the company’s factory in Easton out of material usually used for uniforms for Major League Baseball jerseys for the Phillies and New York Yankees. So the police officers’ masks will be Phillies pinstripe masks.
In 2011, Jacob Hamilton was a 26-year-old cinematographer looking to expand his portfolio by directing a documentary. He came across a two-minute interview online titled, “The Man Who Invented the Jump Shot.” Four years later, Hamilton was screening his short film in Kevin Durant’s backyard, shocked to see one of the NBA’s best-ever jump shooters geek out over footage he’d gathered of Kenny Sailors from the 1940s. The film was still only halfway to the finish line. “Jump Shot” premiered at South by Southwest in 2019, but still hasn’t been released to the public. That will change next week, when the feature-length documentary will be available online April 16-18. Pre-order is underway at jumpshotmovie.com.
“Jump Shot” got two of its most important assists from NBA superstars Steph Curry and Durant. Hamilton had simply hoped for an interview when, through a connection between an executive producer and a chaplain for USA Basketball, the former Golden State Warriors teammates were introduced to Sailors’ legacy. The crew flew to Oakland and were invited to Durant’s home. Partway through the screening, KD asked for the film to be paused. Hamilton feared the worst, a bored millennial. In reality, the former Longhorns star was mesmerized. “These are moves that I’m doing today,” Hamilton recalls Durant telling them. “I was literally working on this in practice this week, and Kenny was doing this 60-70 years ago? This is unbelievable.”
Curry took his adoration a step further when he told Hamilton he was not only up for an interview, but wanted to get more involved. That’s how basketball’s greatest jump shooter became an executive producer. Both players are interviewed in the film, along with a lineup of basketball legends — from Dirk Nowitzki to Bob Knight, Nancy Lieberman and Clark Kellogg. Their astonishment at Sailors’ pioneering shot, particularly a photograph that appeared in Life magazine in 1946, will resonate with basketball fans.
April 9, 2020 | 6:35 pm EDT Update
Waiters, who’d been signed by Los Angeles less than a week beforehand and hadn’t even played a game with the Lakers yet, was watching the battle between Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic when the decision came down. “People start sending stuff, it got crazy,” Waiters told Sports Illustrated. “At that time, [the Lakers] were still trying to get all the information. Everybody found out at the same time.”
Waiters remained in Los Angeles to work out after the suspension, though those activities were soon banned. Then Waiters, like the rest of his teammates, was tested for the coronavirus in mid-March, a process he described as “terrible.” “They stick a Q-tip into your nose, it touches the front of your brain,” Waiters describes. “You start coughing and everything, it was the worst.”
When this all ends, whenever that is, what’s the one thing you’re most looking forward to doing on that first day? Dion Waiters: Just trying to hoop. Just vibe out and hoop. I’ve had damn near the whole season off. I’m trying to get back and hoop. I got something to prove at the end of the day. During this quarantine I’ve been dieting, getting my weight down, getting in shape. For me, it’s just playing basketball.
The partnership formed between Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls is allowing for the delivery of food and beverages to 2,000 healthcare workers at different Advocate and Rush locations across the Chicagoland area.
Without access to a studio or control room and with all cast and crew members isolated in their respective homes, it was impossible for “The Jump” to continue as a live, hour-long show with the high-level production value fans know and love. That is, until now.
Thanks to special software, iPad cameras, adjusted WiFi speeds, volume control, and “incredible ingenuity,” the “Live from Home” team — which comprises ESPN’s Remote Ops, Production, Production Ops, Creative Services, Transmission, Network Engineering, and Media Engineering teams — were able to pull off the spectacular feat of creating a live, hour-long daily show from their living rooms and basements.
“I am in such debt to the people who worked so incredibly hard on the technical side to make what I believe is still magic — there might be some elves involved, it is Disney after all,” ‘The Jump” host Rachel Nichols told Insider. “I can’t believe that they were able to figure out a way to produce an entire television show with everybody at home, not a single person in our television facility.”
April 9, 2020 | 6:29 pm EDT Update
If nothing else at a time when the Clippers have more questions than answers amid the NBA’s hiatus because of COVID-19, the team is confident in at least one thing to be true. Should the season resume, the same roster that had been dogged by injuries since last summer is on track to be the healthiest it has been. “The Kawhi [Leonard] we’ll see will be in phenomenal shape,” coach Doc Rivers said, adding that Paul George “is another guy that’s goig to be in phenomenal shape. Reggie [Jackson], who was injured when we got him, will now be healthy.”
Since there is a pause on all roster transactions across the league, the 10-day contract Noah signed remains in effect one month later. That has left the former defensive player of the year able to work into shape under the supervision of the team’s medical and performance staffs. “It’s been great for him,” Rivers said. “There are certain individuals who this rest period, or whatever this is called, has been a benefit, and Jo is one of them for sure because he’s got a chance now to get healthy, and to get in shape and that will be a factor for him. He will be a guy that will be able to help us.”
“I talked to Kevin Garnett on the day he went into the Hall of Fame and we had a long talk, but one of the things he actually said is, ‘Man, I can’t wait for the playoffs,’” Rivers said. “In typical KG fashion, ‘No excuses! Nobody should have any excuses! Everyone’s going to be healthy! Everyone’s going to be rested!’”
A whopping 72% of Americans polled said they would not attend if sporting events resumed without a vaccine for the coronavirus. The poll, which had a fairly small sample size of 762 respondents, was released Thursday by Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business. When polling respondents who identified as sports fans, 61% said they would not go to a game without a vaccine. The margin of error is plus-or-minus 3.6%.
Only 12% of all respondents said they would go to games if social distancing could be maintained, which would likely lead to a highly reduced number of fans, staff and media at games. For example, fan capacity for a Los Angeles Lakers or LA Clippers game at Staples Center is around 19,000.
Noordin Said, a beloved security official to NBA players and numerous musical artists, died Tuesday in New York after contracting COVID-19, his daughter confirmed to Yahoo Sports. Said’s mother, Anezia Clemons, who lived with him in New York, also died from COVID-19 approximately seven hours before her 56-year-old son, who died at 1:32 a.m. ET on Tuesday.
NBA star DeMarcus Cousins first hired Noordin Said to be his personal security guard in 2015 during All-Star weekend in New York. From there, the two hit it off, and Said worked the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the 2017 All-Star weekend in New Orleans at Cousins’ side. Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green hired Said to be his personal security guard during the 2018 playoffs, and Said worked this season with Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo at most home games.
April 9, 2020 | 5:21 pm EDT Update
As the coronavirus pandemic continues across the world, NBA owners are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. The league plans to keep all options to resume the season available for the time being, sources told ESPN, but the financial realities of the situation demand near immediate action. That has become clear in talks between the NBA, the National Basketball Players Association and player agents, sources told ESPN, as the league tries to get its finances in order in the event the rest of the season must be canceled.
The league’s CBA includes a force majeure clause, enabling owners to cancel games and recover salary in the event of a pandemic. This clause also gives the league a 60-day window within which it can rip up the CBA entirely — effectively beginning a work stoppage. No one wants to do that. But it underscores the gravity of the situation. Still, in recent years the two sides have worked as well together as ever, and the CBA isn’t set to expire until 2024.
The agreement between owners and players in the last CBA calls for roughly splitting revenue 50/50 and also splitting the coming losses. So, the owners want to hold back a percentage of players’ checks going forward — both giving them extra money they can use now, if needed, and also to help balance the books in the event some, or all, of the remainder of the season is canceled. From an economic standpoint, both sides would prefer to limit the pain of the shutdown to only this season and not start next season with IOUs on the ledger. Setting the money aside now would help do that.
Karnisovas, who was the only candidate to get multiple interviews the past few days – including a final conversation with chairman Jerry Reinsdorf – will be replacing John Paxson. A source said that Paxson will move into an advisory role, still being a sounding board for the Reinsdorfs — Jerry and Michael — and would only offer opinions in basketball matters if Karnisovas asks. This is completely Karnisovas’ show, and an important one.
Karnisovas will have full decision making over basketball operations, including the futures of Forman, head coach Jim Boylen, and the entire coaching staff. He was even asked about Paxson, and had the option of having the organization move on from the long-time Bulls executive if that’s what he desired. However, a source indicated that Karnisovas had no issues with the Reinsdorfs keeping Paxson around.
There were multiple reports that the search angered a handful of African American executives around the league, who felt like people of color weren’t involved in the searching process by the Bulls. A source close to the situation, however, indicated that not only did Michael Reinsdorf reach out to multiple minority candidates to try and get interviews – but was denied permission to do so by their current organizations, and in some cases simply turned down.
In an attempt to give fans an opportunity to help out those in need in the Central Florida community while also having a shot at winning a unique fan experience at a future NBA game, the Orlando Magic’s television and radio broadcasters will host an online donation drive in conjunction with the Christian Service Center.
April 9, 2020 | 5:10 pm EDT Update
His one concern, according to the source, is with Arturas Karnisovas now calling the shots, Boylen was at least hoping for a chance to sit down with his new bosses and discuss his year-and-a-half on the job before they make a final decision.
One of the most indelible images from the night the NBA shut down was a young girl crying at a Sacramento Kings game. Her tear-stained face and broken heart reflected how many people felt about the temporary end of life as we knew it and the indefinite stoppage of sports. That girl’s name is Sophie, and Kings player Harry Giles wanted to make her feel better. So he recently sent her and her brother a sweet video message. He apologized for the way their last game ended, and to make up for it, he invited them to a Kings game when sports are back underway. Not surprisingly, Sophie was extremely excited.
On Monday, Curry surprised an intensive care nurse and her fellow staffers with a FaceTime appearance in which the two-time NBA MVP shared how inspired he was by her dedication as a front-line healthcare worker.
Shelby Delaney of the Summit Medical Center in Oakland was one of the first nurses to volunteer to help coronavirus patients at the hospital. Curry made sure the 27-year-old knew how important that was. “I can’t thank God enough for what you’re doing and just the sacrifice, the selflessness and the way everybody’s coming together,” Curry told her on the call. “Thank you so much for just what you do, your heart and the inspiration you provide for everybody.”
April 9, 2020 | 5:02 pm EDT Update
Wizards not expecting John Wall back this season
Chris Miller: #Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard says it’s still not feasible for @John Wall to play this season despite the #coronavirus postponing the #NBA season. #RepTheDistrict
Candace Buckner: #Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard asked about preparing for upcoming draft: Says scouting group is doing video conference calls, talking in-depth about specific players and digesting game footage. At this point, Wiz have a lottery pick and second-round selection which would be No. 37
Beal offered this when asked by Lowe about the viability of resuming the season and what he is doing to stay ready: “We haven’t been doing anything for a month, going on two, who knows how long,” Beal said. “I think ultimately, not just for me, that plays a factor for everybody in the league. I don’t think anybody can come back and just go from zero to 100 and pick up right where we left off. There’s going to be some bad basketball if that’s the case…”
“I have an organization who basically gave me the keys,” Beal said. “‘We’re going to build around you. We’re going to get guys around like’ – if I go anywhere else, granted, it may be a good team, but I would be a piece. Who knows if my role would be the same? My role here is, I love what it is. I love [Scott] Brooks. I love what we have. I love our young guys. I think the fact that we actually have guys that are committed to getting better.”
Lowe opened the podcast by giving Beal the opportunity to address the omission: “I was angry, but I wouldn’t say I played angry because of that,” Beal said. “At the end of the day, I wanted to make the playoffs. The All-Star game was what it was. I’m not mad at you for your votes. For me, I will never take that moment away from the other 24 guys. Because that was me two years ago and a year ago. I can’t sit here and take that moment away from Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell and guys who got their first one.
Oleh Kosel: Griffin hopes teams get to model an offseason before games start if 2019-20 season resumes for conditioning/injury prevention. So equal time for both informal work & training camp (TC). Say if NBA schedules 2-week TC, players have access to work on games in prior 2-week period.
After tallying the votes from readers, Awful Announcing listed the team of announcers on YES’s broadcast of Nets games as the top NBA local broadcast. Voters were able to give letter grades from A to F. The YES team’s most popular grade was an A (72.73%), edging out the New York Knicks’ broadcast team by 2.58%.
April 9, 2020 | 4:50 pm EDT Update
Eric Gordon said he would not object to having a season restarted in a sequestered location, one of the ideas the NBA is considering. But he also indicated it is too soon to know if even that will be possible. “That sounds like almost our only option,” Gordon said. “That’s the only thing that can make sense. Just coop us up in a hotel for months and see if we can have that chance to have the season. It’s still a dicey situation, so we’re just hoping this virus calms down and goes away quickly. As of right now, it doesn’t seem like it is.”
