NBA: Kobe Bryant memorial was a ‘powerful, beautiful thing; a chance to say goodbye’
Kings general manager Vlade Divac and coach Luke Walton were already planning to attend Monday’s memorial for Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. Most of the team was scheduled to fly back to Sacramento following their win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, but Divac went to Walton to propose a change of plans.
“He said, ‘What do you think about if we just stay and try to bring the whole team?’” Walton said. “I thought it was a beautiful idea by Vlade and they put the plan in motion.”
The Kings had a section of floor seats at Staples Center as the legends of the game came together to honor Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others who perished in a fiery helicopter crash Jan. 26 in Calabasas. They told stories, shared memories and shed tears. They honored one of the game’s most iconic players and wrapped the collective arms of the NBA family around Bryant’s brave young widow and their surviving children.
“Whether you knew him or you didn’t,” Walton said, “being a part of the basketball community … it’s nice to have our whole unit together, players, trainers and everyone, and to just have a chance to say goodbye to one of the all-time greats. It was a special, special day.”
Speakers included Vanessa Bryant and basketball luminaries such as Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and Rob Pelinka. Shaq made you laugh. Vanessa made you cry. Jordan made himself cry and then made a joke about the “Crying Jordan” meme.
Pelinka, Bryant’s former agent who now serves as general manager of the Lakers, said he received a text message from Bryant moments before his helicopter went down. Bryant asked Pelinka if he could help a friend’s 16-year-old daughter get an internship with a Southern California baseball agent. The girl Bryant was trying to help was Alexis Altobelli, whose mother, father and 14-year-old sister all died in the crash.
“Kobe’s last human act was heroic,” Pelinka said. “He wanted to use his platform to bless and shape a young girl’s future.”
Walton, who won two NBA championships with Bryant as a member of the Lakers, said he was “as low and depressed as I can remember being” in the days after the crash. Walton described the memorial service as one of the most memorable and emotional experiences of his life.
“I thought Vanessa Bryant was incredible up there, what she said, the courage she had to talk about all of those things,” Walton said. “And then on down the line, it was just a powerful, beautiful thing to see that many people — the greats of all time — for no other reason than to show love and support for another all-time great. It was something I’ll never forget.”
Lineup change in Utah
There’s nothing wilder than a Wednesday afternoon in Salt Lake City. After informing players that Royce O’Neale would replace Mike Conley Jr. in the starting lineup, the Utah Jazz changed course, deciding to move Joe Ingles into a backup role instead, league sources told The Athletic on Wednesday.
Jazz coach Quin Snyder is trying to shake things up. Utah (36-22) has lost four in a row coming out of the All-Star break, including Wednesday’s 114-103 loss to the Boston Celtics. O’Neale had 14 points, four rebounds and three steals in 29 minutes. Ingles, a 39-percent 3-point shooter who averages 9.8 points on 7.9 field-goal attempts per game, was held to two points on 1-of-3 shooting in 26 minutes.
Snyder declined to address the reported reversal in his decision, but he explained that he made the move for defensive purposes. O’Neale is considered Utah’s toughest player and its best perimeter defender. Ingles has struggled at the defensive end.
“The overriding thought on our team right now is we’ve got to get back to defending,” Snyder told the Salt Lake Tribune. “That’s been our focus in practice. My decision to put Royce in the lineup is grounded in that, although he can’t do that on his own.”
Beat the Heat
The Miami Heat was lauded after acquiring Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill from the Memphis Grizzlies ahead of the NBA trade deadline, but the Heat hasn’t been quite right lately.
Miami was 34-15 after posting a resounding 137-106 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 3. Since then, the Heat (36-22) has lost seven of nine. Crowder has been good, averaging 14.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals in seven games for Miami, but Iguodala, who had not played this season, has yet to make an impact. Iguodala is shooting 48.1 percent from the field and an impressive 42.9 percent from 3-point range, but he is averaging just 4.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 20.3 minutes per game.
Curry coming back
The Warriors (12-46) expect two-time MVP Stephen Curry to return for Sunday’s game against the Washington Wizards. Curry has been out since suffering a broken left hand in the fourth game of the season.
Curry returned to practice after he was cleared for full-contact basketball activities last weekend. A league source told The Sacramento Bee that Curry will be reevaluated Saturday. If there are not setbacks, Curry will be back in the lineup Sunday when the Warriors play host to the Wizards at Chase Center.
