Galatasaray honour Kobe Bryant by placing his cutout in the stands during match on Sunday

NBA legend Kobe Bryant passed away earlier this year after being involved in a tragic helicopter crash. Kobe, his daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in the accident which reportedly occurred due to foggy conditions. While several months have passed since the Los Angeles Lakers legend died, the sporting community is still paying their respects to Bryant and his illustrious career.

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Kobe Bryant honoured by Galatasaray during league match

On Sunday, Turkish football club Galatasaray honoured the former Lakers star by placing a Kobe Bryant cutout in the stands during their 3-3 draw against Gaziantep FK. After a three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, football in Europe is slowly getting back to full pace as most of the top leagues in the continent have resumed. The impact of the pandemic means fans are still not allowed in the stadium, forcing the clubs to host matches in empty stadiums. 

Galatasaray made the best of the unusual situations by filling the seats with cutouts of fans and some of the celebrated figures in the club's history. The Kobe Bryant cutout was placed among the many in the stands. The cutout of a smiling Kobe Bryant donning the Galatasaray jersey was quite a sight for fans of the club as well as those of the basketball legend. 

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The Kobe Bryant cutout is from 2011 when the NBA Hall of Famer visited Galatasaray's Turk Telekom Stadium in 2011. Bryant, who grew up in Italy and was a massive fan of Serie A side AC Milan, visited Turkish football club's stadium and facility and even interacted with several club players. The 41-year-old even took part in a friendly penalty shoot out with some of the players. The Turkish football club was also among the numerous clubs from around the club to pay a tribute to the legend. 

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The match, as mentioned, finished at 3-3 with both sides playing out a thrilling contest in their second match since return. Radamel Falcao, Younes Belhanda and Sofiane Feghouli scored for the home side. Despite leading 3-1 in the 75th minute, Galatasaray surrendered their two-goal advantage to end up with just a point. After losing 0-2 to Rizespor last week, the draw on Sunday means the Turkish football club are still looking for their first win since Super Lig resumed. Galatasaray - fourth in the league - will face league-leaders Istanbul Basaksehir on June 28. 

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(Image Credits: Galatasaray Twitter Handle)