Not a day goes by when I don't think of him: LeBron James pays ode to Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others lost their lives in a tragic helicopter crash almost six months ago. His untimely death devastated the NBA world as people from around the world honoured the Los Angeles Lakers legend. With his six-month death anniversary nearing, Lakers star LeBron James was asked to speak about Bryant's death, and how it is still important to them amid everything else that is going on in the world. 

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LeBron James on Kobe Bryant at the NBA bubble 

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LeBron James and Frank Vogel on Kobe Bryant death and the Mamba legacy

While talking to the reporters, James spoke about Bryant's legacy with the Lakers, saying that both Bryant and Gianna are a part of the organisation. “A day doesn’t go by where I don’t think about him,” LeBron said. “A day doesn’t go by where our organisation does not remember him and think about not only Kobe, but Gigi, Vanessa, and the other girls." He added that they are a part of the family, "just as big as anybody in this organisation’s history", which is why they still wear No. 24, No. 8 and No. 2 jerseys with pride, remembering 'how great they were'.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel also spoke to the media about Bryant and his continued impact on the team. While talking about the playoffs after the scrimmage and eight seeding games, Vogel talked about Bryant and what the five-time NBA champion meant for the franchise. “He’s still with us,” Vogel explained. “Any time a group like ours goes through something so emotionally deep, I just think it forms bonds—strengthened our group". He added that while no one ever wants something like that to happen, he believes the bond is a result of the tragedy. According to Vogel, even before his death, the team wanted to 'embody what he stood for'. 

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James, who has led the Lakers to a 49-14 win-loss record this season, has stated that he will continue Bryant's legacy with the team. Bryant's last social media posts were dedicated to James, congratulating the three-time NBA champion for surpassing him as the league's third all-time scorer. James joined the NBA in 2003, a season after Bryant won his three-peat in 2002. Bryant played all his 20 seasons for the Lakers while James played with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers before joining the Lakers in 2018, two years after Bryant retired. 

Lakers NBA restart schedule

The Lakers' first scrimmage is scheduled for July 23 this week against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. The team will face the Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards before resuming the season on July 30 (August 1 IST). The Lakers' first seeding game will be against the LA Clippers at 9:00 PM EST (6:30 AM IST). As per the league's plan, the Lakers will play eight seeding games before starting the traditional playoff series in August, where they will compete for the 17th title for the franchise. 

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(Image source: LeBron James official Instagram – @kingjames)