Nick Kyrgios joins tributes to NBA great Kobe Bryant by wearing Lakers’ jersey before Rafael Nadal Australian Open game
Nick Kyrgios has joined the worldwide tributes for NBA legend Kobe Bryant after his death in a helicopter crash which has shocked the sporting world.
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Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has joined the tributes to fallen NBA legend Kobe Bryant, wearing a Lakers jersey on court before his clash with world no.1 Rafael Nadal.
Kyrgios wore a Lakers no.8 jersey onto Rod Laver Arena and warmed up in the iconic colours before his fourth-round Australian Open match against the Spaniard.
The gesture was praised by tennis fans.
Say 🧀!
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 27, 2020
A quick smile for the cameras before @NickKyrgios & @RafaelNadal kick off proceedings.#AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/3eyBnCsb1X
Nick Kyrgios quite emotional walking out onto Rod Laver in his Lakers jersey, argh 😞 #AusOpen2020 #KobeBryant
— Rachel Furolo (@rachel_furolo9) January 27, 2020
Big respect to Nick Kyrgios tonight
— Gutsumi (@GutsACS) January 27, 2020
Wearing a Lakers jersey all the way up to the point he wasn't able to anymore
Kyrgios’ tribute was the latest from a host of sporting greats, both in Australia and around the world.
Australian basketball great Chris Anstey says the greatest tragedy of NBA legend Kobe Bryant’s death is he will miss out on special moments with his daughter and family.
Bryant, 41, was killed when his helicopter crashed near Los Angeles. Seven other people, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, were also on board. All died in the crash.
Tributes have flooded in from around the world for one of America’s sporting icons.
Gaze said Bryant had an “aura” when he took the court.
Anstey, who played against Bryant in the NBA and at the Olympics, has a daughter Isobel, 18, who is a star for Australia’s U19 Gems.
“It’s not just what he’s done, it’s what he’s missing out on with his daughter and family,” Anstey told the Herald Sun.
“I said to my daughter, my favourite basketball moments are hers, they’re not mine.
“Hopefully I’ll get to a lot more of them. That’s the saddest part of it all.”
Anstey got an up close look at Bryant’s greatness at the 2008 Beijing Olympics during the Australian Boomers’ quarter-final loss to Team USA.
Bryant scored an Olympic career-high 25 points, exploding in the third quarter after he was held scorless in the first half.
The Aussies packed the key, daring Team USA to beat them from the outside, and were down by only one point at quarter-time and 12 at the half.
“We hung around with them up until halftime we were only down by a few and he was the one that went nuts in the third quarter and made a bunch of threes and the game broke open,” Anstey said.
Bryant made six three-pointers.
“We felt that clearly they were better athletes than us but if we made it a jump-shooting contest we would have a better chance.
“He blew that out of the water … (gave me) a sense of ‘you’re almost too good, there’s not a bunch we can do’.”
Aussie NBA export Ben Simmons said the death of Bryant and his daughter has “shaken me to my core”.
NBL legend Andrew Gaze said he was “devastated” by Bryant’s sudden death.
“It is incredibly sad, we have lost one of the all-time greats, Gaze told the Herald Sun.
“Words can’t describe how disappointing and emotional it is.
“It is hard to process it all at the moment, it is pretty raw.”
Bryant was one of the NBA’s biggest advocates for women’s basketball and hall of famer Lauren Jackson, who is the WNBL boss, said he was a great loss to her community.
“Anytime you watched Kobe you watched history in the making,” she said.
“He was a true ally of the women’s game and was doing so much great work, his beautiful daughter was forging her own path in the sport — it’s earth-shattering knowing his daughters are going to grow up without their father, the icon, the man, and their big sister.
“I just feel empty. It’s sickening. It rocked the basketball community for many different reasons.”
Gaze said he met Bryant early in his career when they were both Adidas representatives.
They travelled for three days on a marketing tour in Australia.
“The thing that sticks out was how incredibly driven he was, he was always competitive,” Gaze said.
“He had this aura about him and incredible skill. His leadership and dominance will be remembered.”
Boomer and Detroit Pistons power forward Thon Maker tweeted “Can’t be!” when the news broke this morning. Melbourne-born Dallas Mavericks guard Ryan Broekhoff also posted his shock and condolences to Bryan’t family, while stars from other sports sent their own social media tributes.
Melbourne United forward David Barlow said he felt “lucky” to have shared the court with Bryant and was grateful for a special moment he had with Bryant in the Beijing Olympic village.
“I ran into him in the Olympic village the day before their (Team USA’s) final in ‘08 when they were going to play Spain,” Barlow, a two-time Olympian, said.
“We were walking past each other and I didn’t want to be the fanboy guy, I was just shy.
“He didn’t need to acknowledge me or anything like that, but he shook my hand and gave me a hug.
“I told him just ‘good luck for the game tomorrow’ and he responded ‘oh yeah, we’re going to get it’. Just incredible confidence.
“For him, a big superstar, to acknowledge me as a competitor on another team, he didn’t have to and I always appreciated that.”
The world lost a legend today. Kobe Bryant was someone who I looked up to, a fierce competitor, a Champion, an icon. His dominance and relentless spirit translated both on and off the court. Your fans across the world loved you with such passion and you never let them down. 1/3
— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) January 27, 2020
While Barlow said Bryant was kind to him off the court, it was a different story on it.
“I played against him a number of times, never beat him.” Barlow said.
“A great player on a team full of absolute superstars.
“Playing against him and the entire team was always an honour and hearing this horrible news, I’m reflecting on the time that I had in those environments.”
The NBL issued a statement saying the league was “shocked and saddened” by the tragic death of Bryant and his daughter Gianna.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the Bryant family and their many friends around the world. The basketball community mourns the loss of one of its greatest ever players and ambassadors.
“But even more so it mourns a father and daughter whose love for one another was evident for all to see when they were sharing their love of the game.”
Gaze said Bryant would be remembered for his patriotism playing for the USA.
“One of the things I respect is his desire to play for his country. He won gold medals, world championships, he seemed to flourish in that environment,” Mr Gaze said.
“He really embraced the spirit of the Olympics.”
Golf legend Tiger Woods played the final round at the US PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open unaware his goodfriend Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash further north in California.
The news broke while Woods was in the early part of his round, and though it spread around Torrey Pines quickly, caddie JoeLaCava refrained from telling his boss until they were walking from the 18th green to the scorers’ room. “Joey realised thatI was locked into trying to (win and) didn’t want to distract me with this type of news,” an emotional Woods told reportersminutes later.
“I didn’t really understand why people in the gallery were saying ‘Do it for Mamba’ but now I understand.” ‘Black Mamba’ wasBryant’s nickname.
Woods, at 44 three years older than Bryant, was still processing the news of his friend’s death. The pair are among a selectfew sportsmen famous enough to be universally known by only their first name.
“He came in the league and I turned pro right around the same time and we had our 20-year run together,” said 15-times majorchampion Woods. “It’s a shocker to everyone, unbelieveably sad, and one of the more tragic days.
The tennis world has joined in the worldwide mourning over the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, with the likes of Gael Monfils, Darren Cahill and Simona Halep expressing their sadness.
Cahill said he was shattered at learning of Bryant’s death, just days after getting “goosebumps” from listening to world No.1 Novak Djokovic speak about the Lakers great.
“He (Djokovic) spoke about the relationship that he has, as Kobe being one of his mentors,” Cahill said at Melbourne Park.
“And during the interview I actually felt goosebumps from the words he was talking about.
“And then for this to happen two days later, it’s shattering.”
Basketball fanatic Monfils, after falling to Dominic Thiem, 6-2 6-4 6-4, said it was a “really tough” morning.
“You know, is the first thing, you know, when I woke up, bunch of messages,” the French ace said.
“Definitely when I found out that, I was really, really sad, because it was someone that for sure I was looking up growing up and someone very special ... all my thoughts and prayers for his family.”
Halep said she had been affected by Bryant’s death after she beat Elise Mertens in straight sets.
“I feel really sad about this. It’s a huge loss for the world, for the sport,” Halep said.
“I mean, for the family, I think it’s even — I cannot have, like, described this to lose one person. It’s terrible to lose more than one. It’s tragedy.
“So all my thoughts to the family, and I don’t know how they can feel a little bit better, but it’s a tough moment for the world.
“I feel so sad about it.”
Originally published as Nick Kyrgios joins tributes to NBA great Kobe Bryant by wearing Lakers’ jersey before Rafael Nadal Australian Open game