TCU basketball honors Kobe Bryant during pregame warmups
The TCU men’s basketball team honored the late Kobe Bryant before Wednesday’s game against Texas.
Players wore specialized T-shirts with “Kobe” and the No. 8 printed on front, and “Bryant” and the No. 24 printed on the back.
Bryant was among nine people killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday in the Los Angeles area.
Bryant wore both Nos. 8 and 24 during his legendary career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Several TCU players took to social media following Bryant’s death. Guards RJ Nembhard, PJ Fuller and Francisco Farabello were among the notable players who mourned the loss of a basketball great.
Center Kevin Samuel met with reporters on Monday, expressing his emotions following Bryant’s death.
“He was somebody I really looked up to growing up in the Caribbean,” Samuel said. “At that time I was a Celtics fan, but I had watched Kobe and some of my friends were Kobe fans, so it’s something we always talked about — being like Kobe, trying to go out on the basketball court and mimic his moves.”
Most college basketball players idolized Bryant to some extent given their age.
TCU coach Jamie Dixon echoed those sentiments. The tragedy hit home with Dixon because Bryant was traveling with several other families to a youth-league basketball game. When he learned of Bryant’s death, Dixon was with other families watching their daughters play volleyball.
“There’s a basketball guy to me, but I think the side that’s hit me more is the family aspect of it,” said Dixon, who grew up in the Los Angeles area.
“I remember reading something about how the parents were all friends because of their children and the interests of their children. It probably resonates more with me because of that. It doesn’t matter who he was as a player. At the end of the day, his friends were based on his daughters.
“I was sitting with three other parents watching our daughters and, in reality, that’s what he was doing too.”
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. tonight at Schollmaier Arena. The game will be televised on the Big 12’s streaming network, Big 12 Now, on ESPN+.
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 6:16 PM.
