Kobe Bryant’s family reportedly asked NBA to not hold tributes for him this year
Tuesday (Jan. 26) will mark the one-year anniversary of Bryant’s tragic passing.
The family of the late Kobe Bryant has reportedly asked the NBA and its teams not to hold tributes for him as the one-year anniversary of his tragic passing nears.
On Monday (Jan. 25), Jason Dumas, sports director of KRON4 News, revealed the news on Twitter. “If you notice, a lack of official tributes from organizations and the #NBA this week for Kobe Bryant, it is because his family has asked that teams do not do tributes this year,” he tweeted.
The NBA seems to be honoring the family’s wishes. So far, there haven’t been many tributes held for Bryant this week.
Tuesday (Jan. 26) will mark one year since Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were tragically killed in a helicopter crash while on their way to a basketball game at the Mamba Sports Academy. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but the weather conditions were reportedly unsafe for the aircraft to travel in.
Earlier this month, Vanessa Bryant shared a message to her Instagram Story about grief. “One day you’re in the moment laughing and the next day you don’t feel like being alive,” she wrote. “I want to say this for people struggling with grief and heartbreaking loss. Find your reason to live. I know it’s hard.”
She continued, “I look at my daughters and I try to push through that feeling for them. Death is guaranteed, but living the rest of the day isn’t. Find your reason.”
On Saturday (Jan. 23), LeBron James said Bryant’s passing is still “devastating” — even a year later. “It’s a saying that time heals all and as devastating and as tragic as it was and still is to all of us involved with it… it takes time,” he said. “Everyone has their own grieving process.” James added, “There’s a lot of things that die in this world, but legends never die and he’s exactly that. So, it’s all about representing that.”
Instead of holding a huge tribute for the former Lakers star, players are planning to do subtle tributes, including wearing Bryant’s signature sneakers during games.
Check out Dumas’ tweet below.