Quinn Cook to retire No. 2 for Gianna Bryant, will switch to No. 28 to honor her and Kobe

Over the last few days, a handful of players across the NBA have submitted their requests to the league to have their jersey numbers changed after Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday morning. Bryant famously wore two number during his 20-year career with the Lakers, eight and 24.

Additionally, Dallas Mavericks team governor Mark Cuban has said no player will ever wear the No. 24 again, and there’s a good chance more teams will do the same.

However, there is one another number that’s being retired — No. 2, the number that Bryant’s daughter Gianna wore. Gianna was one of the nine people killed in the helicopter crash on Sunday.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Lakers guard Quinn Cook will no longer wear the No. 2 on his back out of respect for Gianna. Cook wore the No. 2 in high school and college, and he’s worn it this season with the Lakers.

It’s a touching tribute from Cook, who hasn’t been shy about the fact that he grew up loving Bryant and the Lakers since signing his two-year, $6 million with the team last summer. Cook even called Bryant his “hero” in an emotional Instagram post he posted on Monday.

Cook paid his respects to Kobe and Gianna alongside the thousands of Lakers fans outside of Staples Center on Sunday, when the team returned from their week-long Grammy road trip. Cook went to Kobe’s memorial with a blue throwback Lakers jersey in his hand, which had Bryant’s No. 8 on the back.

The Lakers will speak publicly for the first time sine Bryant’s death after practice on Wednesday. Stay tuned for updates.

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