Lakers say they are ‘devastated and forever changed’ by losses of Kobe, Gianna Bryant

In the days following the horrific news that Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, there were persistent rumors that Kobe’s former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, would wait for his wife Vanessa to take the lead before publicly commenting on the tragic events.

On Tuesday, Vanessa took to Instagram to offer a powerful remembrance of her late husband and daughter, as well as information on how supporters could help the families of the others who perished in the crash. Soon after, the Lakers followed her example, posting a photo of Kobe and Gianna, some heartfelt words about their loss, and directing fans to the fund Vanessa and the Bryant family set up for the others affected by the crash:

The Lakers also made some changes to their profile following the statement, altering their avatar to a muted, black version of their logo, as well as making a picture of Bryant their profile header:

The support from other sports organizations in the wake of all this has been staggering to watch, and it continued in response to the Lakers’ statement:

The Lakers’ replies also weren’t the only place where tributes to Kobe and Gianna continued to pour in. The Brooklyn Nets left two open seats with flowers in them where the two had watched a game earlier in that building, while the Anaheim Ducks posted photos remembering all the victims at their game last night, and the Sacramento Kings posted a tribute video to their longtime rival and his daughter:

These are far from the only gestures teams and individuals have made, and it really has been amazing to watch the sports community come together in the wake of all this. While we’d obviously wish it was for better reasons, it’s yet another example of the powerful ability of sports to bring us all together and rally around a common cause.

It’s almost impossible to imagine what the Lakers themselves are going through right now, especially long-time employees of the organization who watched Kobe and Gianna grow up, and so it’s been touching to see how widespread the support for them, the Bryant family and the other families affected by this tragedy has been.

If you’re struggling yourself, talk to someone, and if you want to help, you can do so here.

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