Kobe Bryant death: Trae Young wears No. 8 to honor Lakers star, commits eight-second violation on opening play

Kobe Bryant was the favorite player of millions of NBA fans, but a member of her own family had taken on a current player as her new favorite in recent years. Gianna Bryant, Kobe’s daughter, considered Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young to be her favorite player.

The elder Bryant attended only three games this season. Two of them involved Young. After one of them, he took Gianna to meet her favorite player. On Sunday, both Kobe and Gianna Bryant tragically died in a helicopter accident in California. The news shook the entire basketball world, but Young was especially devasted following his meeting with the Bryants.

…This S*** can’t be real… this the first moment I was able to meet Gianna Maria, she’s been to only 3 games this year… 2 of them were mine… She told me I was her favorite player to watch🙏🏽 I can’t believe this😢😭

Rest Easy Gigi❤️ pic.twitter.com/IfDrE9Gjlv

— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) January 26, 2020

A number of tributes to Bryant took place around the league as games went on following the news, but Young’s was particularly touching. While he usually wears No. 11, Young came out for Sunday’s game against the Washington Wizards wearing No. 8—one of Bryant’s old numbers.

.@TheTraeYoung wearing No. 8 for Kobe Bryant. pic.twitter.com/TPCiYlnjGk

— FOX Sports South (@FOXSportsSouth) January 26, 2020

After his Hawks won the opening tip, Young sat on the ball for eight seconds, again in Bryant’s honor, earning a violation.

Trae Young takes an 8 second violation for Kobe after Tip-Off 💜 pic.twitter.com/4FyXA6WouT

— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) January 26, 2020

At the end of the second quarter, Young even managed to nail a halfcourt shot. It’s almost as if Bryant guided the ball into the hoop.

This…. from Hawks Trae Young…. from 42 feet at buzzer….. for Kobe pic.twitter.com/1JZYnj0VYh

— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) January 27, 2020

Young switched back to No. 11 after that initial violation. The game was played as scheduled, and the league proceeded as planned. Several other players and teams committed similar violations as a way of honoring Bryant, and the league will surely plan something for the coming days and weeks to do so as well.

But seeing Young execute such a memorable tribute mere hours after Bryant’s death is extremely touching, and will certainly mean quite a bit to the millions of devastated fans mourning his passing.