Jay Triano remembers the day Kobe Bryant explained why he wore No. 24.
B次元官网网址淚t represented the number of hours in a day, and thatB次元官网网址檚 what it would take to be the best,B次元官网网址� Triano said.
Triano reminisced with a heavy heart about Bryant on Sunday, shortly after news broke that the legendary Los Angeles Lakers guard and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, had died in a helicopter crash at the age of 41. Authorities said nine people were on the helicopter and that all were presumed dead.
Triano was on the U.S. menB次元官网网址檚 coaching staff in 2008, and both BryantB次元官网网址檚 words and his work ethic made lasting impressions on the former Canadian national team coach and player.
B次元官网网址淲e shared the bus rides to and from practice, and he talked about how he wanted to be the best player in the world,B次元官网网址� said Triano, now the lead assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets. B次元官网网址淗e knew the game. Went back at night to practise shooting on his own with (coach) Johnny Dawkins. (I) went one night to watch it was crazy how hard he worked in an empty gym.
B次元官网网址淗is daily routine was yoga/pilates, weights, practice, go back and work on his own, and repeat the next day. He raised the level for even the best player on the national team when they saw what the best in the world would do and how driven he was.B次元官网网址�
Triano was an assistant with the Toronto Raptors when Bryant dropped an eye-popping 81 points on the Raptors in L.A. BryantB次元官网网址檚 outburst on Jan. 22, 2006 stands as the second most in NBA history, behind Wilt ChamberlainB次元官网网址檚 100 on March 2, 1962.
Longtime broadcaster Chuck Swirsky said nothing heB次元官网网址檚 seen in his four decades of broadcasting has compared.
B次元官网网址淚t was really the most remarkable event IB次元官网网址檝e ever called, to see one man take on five players,B次元官网网址� said Swirsky, who was the play-by-play announcer for the Raptors at the time. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 exactly what it was on that Sunday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant was a one-man wrecking crew.
B次元官网网址淗e did it at the foul line, he did it on three-point shots, he did it on drives to the rim. He was on a mission.B次元官网网址�
A very difficult day to say the least. Here's Kobe's 81 point game I called with
B次元官网网址� chuck swirsky (@ctsbulls)
The most remarkable single game performance I've seen in sports.
Bryant was an 18-time NBA all-star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Lakers.
He retired in 2016 as the third-leading scorer in NBA history, finishing two decades in Los Angeles as a prolific scorer with a sublime all-around game and a relentless work ethic. He held that spot in the league scoring ranks until Saturday night, when the LakersB次元官网网址� LeBron James passed him for third place during a game in Philadelphia, BryantB次元官网网址檚 hometown.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a sad day for basketball and for everyone,B次元官网网址� Triano said. B次元官网网址淛ust so sad.B次元官网网址�
For Swirsky, BryantB次元官网网址檚 legendary performance against the Raptors was a seminal moment in an all-time career.
B次元官网网址淗e was not a big man. He was not Wilt Chamberlain, who was seven-feet tall, who scored 100 which is crazy to begin with, and total respect to Wilt Chamberlain, but weB次元官网网址檙e talking about a man that was 6-6, 6-7, maybe,B次元官网网址� said Swirsky, who is now an announcer for the Chicago Bulls. B次元官网网址淚t was just a remarkable achievement.B次元官网网址�
Bryant trolled former Raptor Jalen Rose in a comical ad for RoseB次元官网网址檚 ESPN TV show B次元官网网址淛alen vs. EverybodyB次元官网网址� in 2017. Bryant spotted Rose in a restaurant, and Rose stopped to acknowledge Bryant with a fake smile. Bryant orders a vodka martini, the waiter asks him how many olives, to which Bryant responds: 81. The two retired players glare at each other for several seconds before Bryant laughs and says: B次元官网网址淣ah, IB次元官网网址檓 playing. Just two. ItB次元官网网址檚 a joke for (Rose).B次元官网网址�
Bryant had one of the greatest careers in recent NBA history and became one of the gameB次元官网网址檚 most popular players as the face of the 16-time NBA champion Lakers franchise. He was the league MVP in 2008 and a two-time NBA scoring champion, and he earned 12 selections to the NBAB次元官网网址檚 All-Defensive teams.
The worlds of sports and entertainment mourned BryantB次元官网网址檚 death on Sunday. A moment of silence was observed at a pre-broadcast portion of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
Canadian rapper Drake posted a photo of a custom-made leather jacket honouring Bryant that he wore to the 2016 NBA all-star game in Toronto. That all-star game was the last of BryantB次元官网网址檚 career before he retired at the end of the season. The caption on DrakeB次元官网网址檚 Instagram post read B次元官网网址淚t canB次元官网网址檛 be.B次元官网网址�
Canadian singer Justin Bieber also eulogized Bryant on Instagram, posting a photo of an adolescent Bieber with Bryant standing beside him.
B次元官网网址淚t canB次元官网网址檛 be. You always encouraged me mamba. Gave me some of the best quotes that we smile about to this day! Love you man!B次元官网网址� said BieberB次元官网网址檚 caption.
A moment of silence was held before the Toronto Raptors played the San Antonio Spurs in Texas on Sunday afternoon. Former Raptors forward DeMar DeRozan, whoB次元官网网址檚 been vocal throughout his career about his close friendship with and respect for Bryant, met with former teammates Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby before tipoff. They spoke and shared a warm embrace.
DeRozan, who played for the Raptors for nine seasons, told ESPN in 2016 about BryantB次元官网网址檚 influence on his game.
B次元官网网址淜obe had an aura around him when he was on the court; he intimidated all of us. I was inside a video game,B次元官网网址� said DeRozan, a native of Compton, Calif.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檇 watched him growing up. I watched Kobe do everything. His shot. His footwork. How he works in the post. Everything growing up was Kobe. I tried to emulate the tough shots he took, his pump fake. ThereB次元官网网址檚 nothing you can show me that Kobe has done on a court that I donB次元官网网址檛 know about or have tried. I practise almost all of them.B次元官网网址�
The Raptors gained possession on the opening tipoff Sunday but dribbled down the 24-second shot clock, in honour of BryantB次元官网网址檚 No. 24. The AT&T Center crowd rose to its feet chanting B次元官网网址淜o-be! Ko-be!B次元官网网址� After the ball was turned over on a shot-clock violation, the Spurs also held the ball for 24 seconds in tribute to Bryant. Raptors guard Lowry and Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich shook hands before play began in earnest.
My heart is broken for Kobe and his family. IB次元官网网址檒l never forget the battles but what I really admired was the father he was to his girls. Rest In Peace old friend with your angel Gianna 馃挃
B次元官网网址� Steve Nash (@SteveNash)
B次元官网网址淵ou can tell thereB次元官网网址檚 an emptiness now here in this building, itB次元官网网址檚 surreal,B次元官网网址� Raptors broadcaster Matt Devlin said on the pre-game broadcast.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 obviously very difficult (to play),B次元官网网址� said Canadian TV commentator Leo Rautins. B次元官网网址淚f anything you embody yourself in a Kobe Bryant spirit, and thatB次元官网网址檚 a guy who would compete through anything. His compete level was off the charts. How do you compete, thatB次元官网网址檚 a great question. A lot of players are devastated, heB次元官网网址檚 had a tremendous impact on a lot of the young generation of the NBA, you talk about his peers, heB次元官网网址檚 got so much respect from everybody.B次元官网网址�
NHL great Wayne Gretzky was one of many prominent Canadians to pay tribute to Bryant on social media.
B次元官网网址淛anet (his wife) and I have no words to describe our shock and sadness on the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant today. Praying for him and his family,B次元官网网址� said Gretzky, a star with the Los Angeles Kings before the arrival of Bryant with the Lakers in 1996.
Longtime Canadian NBA star Steve Nash, BryantB次元官网网址檚 teammate from 2012-14, also took to Twitter to express his thoughts.
B次元官网网址淢y heart is broken for Kobe and his family. IB次元官网网址檒l never forget the battles but what I really admired was the father he was to his girls,B次元官网网址� Nash said.
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B次元官网网址� With files from The Associated Press.
Lori Ewing and John Chidley-Hill , The Canadian Press
