February 24th was a day to celebrate the life and memory of Kobe and Gianna Bryant as thousands of fans came out to bid a final farewell to one of the greatest Lakers players ever.
Throughout the tremendous ceremony at Staples Center, multiple athletes, entertainers, and celebrities were shown on the broadcast, but fans were left wondering why LeBron James was not there. His teammates Anthony Davis could be spotted, but not a single video or photo could be found of King James.
There was a reason for that.
The Los Angeles Times confirmed LeBron was indeed there, but others speculate that he may have asked not to be filmed because he didn’t want the ceremony to be about him and what he was doing.
If you were paying attention, Diana Taurasi made a joke at LeBron and clearly pointed in his direction, noting he was there in the audience. Still, the camera did not pan to him at all, which further lets you know that he did not want to be filmed.
Other active NBA players who attended included Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and many others. NBA Hall of Famers Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Phil Jackson, Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, as well as NBA stars Dwyane Wade, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash.
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Before the memorial began, James posted “2/24,” the date of the memorial.
“Kobe is a brother to me,” James said. “From the time I was in high school watching him from afar, to getting in this league at 18 and watching him up close, all the battles that we had throughout my career, the one thing that we always shared was that determination to just want to win, to just want to be great. The fact that I’m here now means so much to me. I want to continue, along with my teammates, his legacy. Not only for this year, but for as long as we can play this game of basketball that we love, because that’s what Kobe Bryant would want.”
