Sophia Michaels
The 2020 NBA All-Star Game features numerous tributes to Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gianna, and the rest of the lives lost in a helicopter crash in California last month. There are alterations to the way the game is scored, special uniform numbers, and more, as Sunday offered an opportunity for the basketball-watching world to come together in Chicago, mourn these passings, and celebrate their lives.
Prior to the festivities tipping off, Magic Johnson, surrounded by those participating in the game, gave a speech remembering Bryant and another major loss in the basketball community, former commissioner David Stern. After giving remarks on both men, he called on those in the arena to hold hands and take eight seconds of silence in memory of Bryant and Stern.
Johnson and the players then left the stage, giving way to Jennifer Hudson. The Grammy Award and Oscar winning singer and actress sang a moving rendition of Nat King Cole’s “For All We Know” while images of Bryant were projected on a screen in the background.
There is no better way to remember a pair of basketball titans like Bryant and Stern than playing the game and coming together during one of the league’s biggest weekends. But before that could happen, Johnson and Hudson gave us a few powerful moments to reflect on their contributions to the game.
Written by: Uproxx
