On Tuesday morning, it was announced that the LA Lakers will be bringing back their Black Mamba jerseys to honor Kobe Bryant. They will be worn on February 8th, the same day the organization will honor the legendary guard with a statue. As they prepare to wear these special jerseys again, here is a look back at how they’ve done in the past.
The first time LA wore the Black Mamba inspired jerseys was on January 26th, 2018. They faced off against the Chicago Bulls that night, winning the game by a final score of 108-103. Brandon Ingram was the key standout for LA that night, finishing with 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
•
A few years later, the Lakers decided to bring back the Black Mamba jerseys during the 2020 playoffs. They had great success in them, going 4-0 in games they donned the custom-made uniforms.
One of the games that LA wore the Black Mamba jerseys was Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. Anthony Davis had argubaly his biggest moment of the postseason in that game against the Denver Nuggets. With just two seconds left in the game, he hit a three as time expired to win and put the Lakers up 2-0 in the series.
As everyone knows, LA would go on to reach the finals that year and take down the Miami Heat for the franchise’s 17th title.
LA Lakers are going all out for Kobe Bryant day
February 8th, 2024 has been deemed Kobe Bryant day by the LA Lakers. This date was chosen because it features both numbers the Hall of Fame guard wore during his career. In an attempt to add to the hype of the days events, the team will don these special jerseys.
Kobe spent 20 years in LA, where he led the franchise to five champions. A year after his retirement, the organization put both of his jerseys numbers in the rafters. Now, they plan to immortalize Kobe with a statue outside of Crypto.com arena. Sadly, the NBA legend will not be in attendance this time around.
The Lakers are going to have their hands full on Kobe day, as they are slated to take on the Denver Nuggets. Given the importance of the events prior to the game, the pressure will be on to deliver a victory.
Thursday will mark the second time these teams square off this season. The first meeting came on opening night, with the Nuggets securing a 119-107 win. Nikola Jokic played a big role in the first matchup, finishing the game with a triple-double.
On a night where they honor one of the franchise’s greatest players, LeBron and company will look to take down the defending champions.
Source link