Ever since Kobe Bryant‘s tragic and untimely death at age 41 in a Jan. 26, 2020 helicopter crash, the L.A Lakers have been chasing the franchise’s 18th NBA Championship in his name. Now LeBron James and the squad are one game away from making it happen for the later Lakers icon, as they’re up 3-1 against the Miami Heat. A victory on Oct. 9 could see LeBron, 35, hoist his fourth NBA Championship trophy in the air, and it will be in the memory of his “big brother” Kobe and Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who also perished in the crash.
“Kobe is without a doubt 100 percent in LeBron’s mind and the rest of the team’s minds as they chase the NBA Championship. LeBron feels that Kobe has been with him through these playoffs, and he would love nothing more than to win a championship as he would absolutely dedicate it to Kobe,” a source tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY.
The Lakers are going to be wearing their special Kobe Black Mamba jerseys in game five, instead of their traditional gold and purple uniforms. The squad wore them in game two against the Heat on Oct. 3, and came away with a commanding 124-114 win. LeBron told reporters afterwards, “It’s always special to represent someone that meant so much, not only to the game but obviously to the Lakers organization for 20-plus year. For us to honor him, being on the floor, this is what it’s all about.”
“The Lakers have three chances to win one more game so, barring any complete collapse, the Lakers should win and Kobe would be thanked, remembered, and honored in all the team’s celebrations. LeBron would ask for nothing less,” our insider shares. After the team’s 102-96 victory over the heat in Oct. 6’s game four, #ForKobe became the top trending Twitter topic in the U.S. It seems just about every NBA fan wants to see that moment where the Lakers cinch the title in honor the man who brought home a grand total of five league championships to L.A. during his 20 year playing career with the team, before retiring in 2016 at age 38.
LeBron arrived at game four ready to go with Kobe’s Mamba mentality, wearing a simple white t-shirt showing a drawing of Kobe in his iconic move of triumphantly pulling out his jersey to show the Lakers logo, as he did whenever securing a clutch play. Underneath it read, “More Than Ever” and “With Love 1978 – 2020.”
LeBron then channeled that same super intense Mamba drive and passion Kobe had to lead the team to victory against Miami with 28 points. Now that they are only one win away from honoring arguably the greatest Lakers player of all time with an NBA Championship in his honor, fans need to get their tissues out now for what are bound to be some of the most bittersweet and emotional victory speeches ever, especially from LeBron.