Lakers To Wear Black Mamba Jersey In Honor Of Kobe Bryant If They Advance Past First Round Of Playoffs
The Lakers plan to honor Kobe Bryant by wearing the Black Mamba jersey that Bryant helped design if they advance past the first round of the playoffs, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Lakers, who clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the first time since 2010, open their first round playoff series against the eighth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
The Black Mamba jersey has black snakeskin print and 16 yellow stars on its sides, representing the 16 NBA championships that the franchise has won.
Bryant led the Lakers to five of those titles over his 20-season career with the team. He was a two-time Finals MVP, one-time regular season MVP in 2008, 18-time All-Star and was named to the NBA All-Defensive team 12 times. He will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in May.
Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 along with seven other people as they were headed to the Mamba Sports Academy, where Bryant was going to coach Gianna in a youth basketball game.
After Bryant's death, LeBron James vowed to carry on his legacy.
James, who is trying to lead the Lakers to their first championship since 2010 when Bryant won his final title with the franchise, said last month that Bryant is always on his mind.
"A day doesn’t go by when I don’t think about him," James said in a video conference call in July. "And a day doesn’t go by when our organization does not remember him and think about not only Kob’, but Gigi, Vanessa and the girls."
