Champions Los Angeles Lakers pay tribute to Kobe Bryant ahead of new NBA season
- Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up their 17th title a little more than two months ago
- They faced the Los Angeles Clippers in their first match of the season
- Ahead of the match, the Lakers held a quiet championship ceremony in the absence of fans
The NBA’s new season kicked off on Tuesday with a Brooklyn Nets welcoming the Golden State Warriors and the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers facing Los Angeles Clippers, two teams which share a building. Since the COVID pandemic struck in March, this is the first time that all the 30 teams would be seen in action.
In one of the shortest turnaround, the new season started just over two months after the Lakers clinched the 2019-20 championship. On Tuesday, the Lakers held a quiet championship ceremony in the absence of fans. The players also displayed their championship rings for the first time.
The ring honours Kobe Bryant, an LA Lakers icon and a five-time NBA champion who dies in January. Bryant was killed in January alongside his 13-year-old daughter in a helicopter crash outside Los Angeles that also took the lives of seven other people. He was a two-time Olympic gold medallist, helping spark the US squad to titles in 2008 and 2012.
The ring features a Black Mamba snake that circles each player’s personal number. It also has a removable top, and a mention of Bryant’s two retired numbers along with the Lakers banner underneath.
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