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76ers Players Pay Tribute to Kobe Bryant on Social Media

Philadelphia 76ers players took to social media to react to the Kobe Bryant news.
Justin Grasso|
76ers Players Pay Tribute to Kobe Bryant on Social Media
76ers Players Pay Tribute to Kobe Bryant on Social Media

The NBA world lost a legend on Sunday. On Saturday night, all eyes were focused on the Philadelphia 76ers versus the Los Angeles Lakers matchup in Philly. As Lakers superstar LeBron James was just 17 points away from surpassing Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant, on the All-Time scorer's list, everybody -- Kobe included, was tuned in.

LeBron passed the point total, and Kobe was watching. The NBA legend congratulated LeBron for his accomplishment, and the current Laker responded accordingly after the game. The MVP candidate had nothing but praise for the former opponent of his.

Then less than 24 hours later, the worst news possible regarding Kobe Bryant came out and shocked the world. At the age of 41, former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was involved in an unfortunate helicopter crash, which killed nine people, according to The New York Times.

As expected, many fans, former players, and current players immediately took to social media after finding out the news for themselves. As you can assume, many had nothing but great things to say about the NBA legend, Kobe Bryant.

Joel Embiid

Tobias Harris

Al Horford

Furkan Korkmaz

Norvel Pelle

Josh Richardson

Ben Simmons

Hours after the news came out on Sunday, the Philadelphia 76ers released a statement regarding the news as well:

"The Philadelphia 76ers organization mourns the losses of NBA icon Kobe Bryant, and his daughter, Gianna, and all of who passed away tragically today in an accident in California. Bryant's journey to icon status in the world of basketball included deep tied to the Philadelphia region, where he starred at Lower Merion High School from 1992-96."

"As he honed his craft in Philadelphia, Bryant established a reputation as a player with once-in-a-lifetime poise, grit, heart and an unwavering love of the game. The 76ers organization sends its sincerest condolences to Vanessa Bryant and the Bryant family during this incredibly difficult time. We also send our condolences to Jeanie Buss, the Los Angeles Lakers organization and Kobe Bryant fans everywhere."

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

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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