Lakers, fans mourn the loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — It’s possible no athlete resonated with Lakers fans and NBA players quite like Kobe Bryant.

Bryant is frequently cited by other players who faced him as the toughest cover they’ve ever been asked to check, and fans of the Lakers and Los Angeles natives speak of him with a borderline religious reverence. As a child growing up in Southern California, I thought Kobe beef was named after him, not the other way around.

The city, the organization and the NBA as a whole were in mourning on Sunday when news surfaced that Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California early in the morning on their way to a basketball game. Nowhere was the impact felt more profoundly and collectively than at the epicenter: Los Angeles and its surrounding cities.

Hundreds stormed the area around Staples Center to mourn, refusing to heed officials who didn’t want them there due to the Grammy awards that night. The Lakers — who cancelled practice for Monday as the organization grieves — essentially invited fans to pay their respects to Bryant with them, making the rare move of opening up the security gates of their practice facility so that supporters could have a place to set up an impromptu vigil for Bryant and his daughter.

Here are some photos of the scene:

Mia Agraviador for Silver Screen and Roll

Mia Agraviador for Silver Screen and Roll

Mia Agraviador for Silver Screen and Roll

Mia Agraviador for Silver Screen and Roll

Mia Agraviador for Silver Screen and Roll

Mia Agraviador for Silver Screen and Roll

Players and other members of the organization haven’t said much publicly, but these losses have hit the team hard. LeBron James looked forlorn in footage of him walking off the team plane in Los Angeles, and Jared Dudley said the whole traveling party was similarly affected:

He wasn’t the only Laker to post on social media. Here’s a brief snapshot of those who have, and a reminder that this team might be taking all of this just as hard or harder than all of us are:

The Lakers next play on Tuesday against the Clippers. The NBA played games as scheduled on Sunday, making a cancellation seemingly unlikely, but with emotions this raw, it’s not impossible we see some type of rescheduling. Stay tuned to Silver Screen and Roll for updates, and take some time today to tell your loved ones you care about them. Let’s all support each other.

Mia Agraviador contributed to this story. For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.