Two weeks have passed since Jan. 26 and it is fair to say the basketball world has still not gotten over the shock of Kobe Bryant‘s tragic death in a helicopter crash.
While the Lakers and all 30 teams have resumed their regular slate of games during the 2019-20 NBA season, players are still feeling the loss of Bryant but have begun the road to healing and acceptance.
LeBron James endeared himself to the Los Angeles Lakers faithful after speaking about Bryant and promising to carry the team forward, powerful words from the face of the league.
James also paid an ode to Bryant against the Houston Rockets as he replicated one of the legend’s dunks on a fast break attempt that immediately was shared via social media.
James reflected on the play, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I don’t know. I didn’t really predetermine that either until I jumped. I just jumped and then kinda figured it out. It’s almost… it’s crazy how it was… Same exact dunk on the same exact hoop that Kobe did they said 19 years ago or something like that. That was nuts.”
James also discussed the photo that accompanied the dunk:
“I don’t share that same… but when I saw that photo for the first time, I was like, ‘Holy [expletive].’ And then when I found out how it was taken… like Andy literally had one snap on his remote to get that and I seen a video of it when I was in the air, you could see the flash in the background. I was like, ‘He’s the real MVP, for sure.’ That was like crazy. My mom was ecstatic about it, couple friends hit me about it. To catch that right there, that moment… it’s like I’m walking on air. It was pretty cool. It’ll be hung up probably in my house somewhere.”
There is no shortage of photos and videos of James’ highlights, but this one may arguably go down as his most iconic as it captures him perfectly midair about to throw down an impressive dunk. The photo quickly circulated online and had many people buzzing about just how special James made that moment.
With James donning the purple and gold, the Lakers appear to be in good hands as they continue their quest for the 2020 NBA Finals. Hopefully James and the rest of the roster can hit their stride and get back to playing their elite level of basketball down the stretch of the season.
