76ers Paid Homage to Kobe Bryant Once Again on Lakers' Home Court

For the first time since the passing of the Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant, the Philadelphia 76ers have visited the Staples Center this week. Considering Kobe Bryant began his basketball career just outside the city of Philadelphia, the Sixers organization figured they could continue to honor the late legend as they visited his other home in L.A.

Back in late January, the NBA world was shocked to hear that Bryant passed away suddenly in a helicopter accident. Due to the impact the 'Black Mamba' had on the game of basketball, every team attempted to honor the legend in their own unique way once they returned to the court.

For the Sixers, they had a series of tributes before and during their January 28th matchup against the Golden State Warriors. A maroon No. 33 decal on the side of the court represented Bryant's Lower Merion High School jersey number.

Each player entered onto the court rocking a custom Kobe Bryant Sixers jersey. And instead of doing player introductions for the Warriors versus Sixers, the Wells Fargo Center lit up purple as the Sixers put together a touching tribute to honor Bryant and the others who were involved in the painful tragedy.

Had to rock the Kobes. pic.twitter.com/91kT7Vck1E
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 4, 2020

Now, over a month later, the Sixers took their Bryant tribute on the road. For the 76ers' second matchup at the Staples Center on Tuesday, head coach Brett Brown and his staff decided to ditch the dress shoes for some Kobe Bryant sneakers. It wasn't an expected move, but it was a favorable one as fans around the NBA applauded the tribute.

"It's our way of showing the level of respect, appreciation, and gratitude for everything [Kobe] did for the sport and what he meant to this city and this building," Brett Brown stated on Tuesday night, following the loss against the Lakers. "It's a small thing, but it's our thing, and I'm thrilled that we could show some level of consideration for what has happened."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_