Washington Wizards react to passing of Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant’s tragic death rocked the NBA and sports world. The Washington Wizards were no exception.

Yesterday, the basketball world was rocked to its core by news of Kobe Bryant‘s tragic death. Bryant, the 41-year-old NBA superstar, died in a helicopter crash. TMZ first reported the news.

Instantly, the NBA, and the whole sporting world, was sent into a spiral of depressed disbelief. Thoughts and prayers poured out from former and current players, teammates and rivals, and U.S. presidents. Even the tennis and soccer worlds paid their respects, as Neymar and Nick Kyrgios paid tribute to the fallen legend.

As the word of the tragedy traveled around, many Wizards — like the rest of us — couldn’t believe it.

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Fans across Twitter called for the NBA to cancel all games as they struggled to process the passing of one of the game’s legends. But games played on, probably as Kobe would have wanted. Even without time for preparation, teams impressed with their heartfelt tributes to the Black Mamba.

The Washington Wizards were one of the teams that had to play yesterday, but that didn’t stop them from memorializing Bryant. In line with the rest of the league, the Hawks and Wizards traded eight- and 24-second violations to start the game.

However, players, some finding out just moments before taking the floor, were obviously affected. And their disbelief hadn’t worn off by game time. Bradley Beal and Trae Young could hardly control their emotions before tipoff.

Young even took his tribute a step further and wore Kobe’s number 8 for the first possession of the game.

Throughout the Wizards’ 152-133 loss to the Hawks, there was an ominous and unsettling feeling to the game. Obviously, something bigger than basketball was happening outside the walls of the arena. But in a weird way, playing through the pain felt so Kobe. Just put on the blinders and play. The Mamba Mentality.

However, nobody would have blamed these guys if they chose to sit yesterday out. And some, including Bradley Beal’s fiancée, thought playing through the pain wasn’t the best choice.

After the game, players got the chance to talk about what Kobe and his legacy meant to them as men and as basketball players.

Kobe Bryant will go into the Naismith Hall of Fame as a part of the 2020 class, one of the league’s most storied Hall of Fame classes. And no name on that list, alive or dead, will be bigger than Kobe Bryant. For years, Bryant wasn’t just the face of the Los Angeles Lakers, he was the face of the NBA. Love him or hate him, the NBA was better because of Kobe.

The league lost a legend. RIP Kobe.