LOS ANGELES -- With the Los Angeles Lakers and the city of Los Angeles grieving and mourning the death of Kobe Bryant, the NBA postponed the Lakers' game against the LA Clippers on Tuesday night at Staples Center.
There were discussions between the NBA, the Lakers and Clippers that took place over several hours before the NBA's decision, with the Clippers honoring the Lakers' request to postpone the game, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The game will be rescheduled at a later date.
"The decision was made out of respect for the Lakers organization, which is deeply grieving the tragic loss of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people in a helicopter crash on Sunday," the NBA said in a statement.
The sports world was shaken with the stunning news on Sunday that Bryant, 41, one of his daughters, Gianna, 13, and seven others died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
While flying back from Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon, the Lakers were shocked to learn of Bryant's death when some staff members started getting text messages about the tragedy, according to a source. Head coach Frank Vogel then told the players.
The Lakers canceled practice on Monday as the entire organization was trying to deal with the grief. It was determined that the Lakers organization just couldn't put on the operations of having a game on Tuesday, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported.
"The Los Angeles Lakers would like to thank all of you for the tremendous outpouring of support and condolences," the team said in a statement released on Monday. "This is a very difficult time for all of us. We continue to support the Bryant family and will share more information as it is available."
Bryant played 20 seasons with the Lakers and had many relationships with those in and outside the organization. The organization brought in grief counselors to the team facility to provide comfort and guidance in both group and one-on-one sessions, a source told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. Employees were also given materials with coping advice to take home.
The NBA rarely postpones games outside of weather- or technical-related reasons. In April 2013, a game in Boston against Indiana was canceled following the Boston Marathon bombing that killed three and injured at least 264 people.
The city of Los Angeles has been mourning the death of Bryant and his daughter. Fans have been visiting makeshift memorials at different places around the city, including outside the Lakers' team facility in El Segundo, California, and outside Staples Center.
Even after midnight after Sunday's tragedy, fans were gathered in the middle of L.A. Live, just a few steps away from Staples Center, to pay respects and remember Bryant and Gigi. Boyz II Men's "End Of The Road" and Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You" played and fans broke out in periodic chants of "KOBE!" and "MVP!" around four candle-lit memorials that had flowers, oversized teddy bears, several Bryant jerseys and pictures laid out.
The Clippers had to play in Orlando on Sunday night, just hours after learning about Bryant's death. Clippers coach Doc Rivers broke out in tears talking pregame about Bryant and admitted that he had no idea what he would say to his team or how his players would cope before the Clippers beat the Magic, 112-97.
Rivers told the media after the win that Clippers players requested that the locker room be closed to give the team some space.
Clippers guard Lou Williams, who played alongside Bryant with the Lakers, tweeted about how he was trying to cope on Monday afternoon.
"Been crying on and off," tweeted Williams, who played with Bryant in 2015-16. "Have a random thought about things we spoke about then laugh. Cry again. Then I tell myself tighten up, mamba was tough. Wipe my eyes. Cry again RIPKOBE"
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January 27, 2020 at 03:03PM
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NBA postpones Clippers-Lakers game after Kobe Bryant's death - ESPN
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