The NBA is ready to honor Kobe and Gianna Bryant at the All-Star Weekend, and one of the biggest tributes they’ll offer will be Team Giannis wearing No. 24 jerseys to honor Kobe while Team LeBron will don No. 2 jerseys to pay homage to Gianna.
We’ve learned that the league came with the idea to LeBron and he had to pick a number. Now, we know why he chose to honor Gianna in a couple of days at the big game. According to Dave McMenamin and Tania Ganguli, the King picked No. 2 for the All-Star Game because of his daughter, Zhuri.
The league came to LeBron James with the idea about the All-Star jerseys being No. 2 for Gigi and No. 24 for Kobe. LeBron chose to have his team wear No. 2, he says, because Gianna makes him think about his own daughter, Zhuri.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 3, 2020
LeBron said the league asked him if he wanted his team to wear 24 or 2 for the All Star game. He picked 2, the number Gianna Bryant wore. Why? “Zhuri.”
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) February 3, 2020
Zhuri is LeBron’s only daughter and the youngest member of his ‘James Gang’. She’s been spotted with her father on social media in recent times, with fans often remembering the relationship Kobe had with GiGi.
Bryant was open about the fun he had raising his four daughters. When remembering her favorite exchange with Bryant, ESPN reporter Elle Duncan recalled Kobe telling her how much he loved being a
“girl dad.”
"I would have 5 more girls if I could. I'm a girl dad."@elleduncanESPN's story about how much Kobe loved his daughters is something special. pic.twitter.com/1KJx17QRjY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 28, 2020
Sadly, Gianna was with her father when the fatal helicopter crash happened.
However, fans and players, including LeBron, keep finding ways to honor Kobe and now are showing how fulfilling it is to be a father with daughters by using the hashtag “#GirlDad.”
