'He was special': The NBA tributes continue for Kobe Bryant

In Philelphia, Joel Embiid paid tribute to Kobe Bryant by wearing one of his jersey numbers.

Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie and Orlando’s Terrence Ross are showing ir respect by longer doing so. Boston’s Kemba Walker is considering such a change.

And coaches around league left ir snazzy lear shoes in office Tuesday night, wearing Bryant’s signature sneakers inste.

games are going on — except in Los Angeles, for a couple more days anyway. So, too, is grief after fiery helicopter crash in Sourn California on Sunday that took life of Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven ors. And tributes are continuing as well, such as separate decisions by Dinwiddie and Ross to longer wear . 8 that Bryant donned at start of his NBA career.

“We often search for meaning in numbers,” Dinwiddie tweeted.

Dinwiddie will w wear . 26. Ross is going back to . 31. moves, evidently, are simply ir way of saying Bryant’s numbers — he wore . 8 and . 24 for Los Angeles Lakers — should be retired. Walker said part of reason why he isn’t sure if he’ll give up . 8 is that Celtics have a large amount of alrey-retired numbers and that would limit his options.

Many coaches, including Miami’s Erik Spoelstra and Boston’s Br Stevens and ir staffs for Heat-Celtics game in Miami, wore Bryant’s sneakers.

Spoelstra, a far of two young sons, said he plans on buying Kobe sneakers for m to wear in a few years.

“I’m going to tell m story of Kobe Bryant when y are old eugh to understand,” Spoelstra said. “Those shoes will be a symbol of excellence, work ethic, commitment and class.”

Jayson Tatum saw all those qualities in Bryant. He considered him a friend, mentor, idol, hero.

“Everybody kws how much he meant to me,” Tatum said, his voice barely rising above a whisper, his eyes looking down nearly whole time. “From somebody I really looked up to, and really was like my hero — reason I started playing basketball. To becoming a friend and a mentor, somebody that I could talk to and help me out with a bunch of things on and off court. It’s been a tough couple of days.”

y will stay that way for a lot of days.

A lot of days.

new rmal — an NBA world where Bryant will never be physically present again — will continue opening rounds of its evolution Wednesday, when Lakers are scheduled to practice and n speak with reporters for first time since trdy. Basketball returns to Los Angeles on Thursday when Clippers play host to Sacramento. Lakers play at Staples Center on Friday against Portland, in what will undoubtedly be a gut-wrenching night of emotions.

Tears will be shed that night, just as y were Tuesday when Turner Sports analysts and former NBA players Shaquille O’Neal — who won three titles with Lakers alongside Bryant in a superstar pairing like few ors — and Dwyane We seated at midcourt to share ir memories and ir anguish.

Clippers and Lakers were supposed to play re Tuesday. NBA postponed that matchup, for obvious reasons. Lakers just weren’t rey to resume playing yet.

Tatum is one of players in league who got to work out up close with Bryant. He h plenty of reasons for why he idolized him so much.

“His drive, his work ethic to be best, he just me me fall in love with him and game,” Tatum said. “I loved everything about him and way he carries himself. He was special.”

NBA All-Star reserve anuncements are Thursday, and it is a certainty that league will come up with some way to pay tribute to Bryant at All-Star weekend in Chicago.

"y will. This is best league in world,” Walker said. “y do a great job and y will hor him way y will and way y're supposed to and way he deserves to be hored. I'm just looking forward to being a part of it."

But Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant pointed out, probably correctly, that matter what league comes up with, matter how many players change ir jersey numbers in Bryant’s memory, matter how many coaches wear his sneakers, matter how many Bryant chants echo through arenas over coming days and weeks, gestures will likely fall short of capturing what five-time NBA champion truly meant to game, its players and its fans.

“thing,” Durant said, “will ever be big eugh to truly hor Kobe Bryant."