NBA: How Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic will honor Kobe; why Bryant ‘would be proud’
A number of NBA players have already chosen to change their jersey numbers as a show of respect for Kobe Bryant, the former Los Angeles Lakers great who died in a fiery helicopter crash Sunday morning in the hills above Calabasas. Kings guards Bogdan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield want to honor Bryant by keeping their numbers.
Bogdanovic wears No. 8 and Hield wears No. 24, the numbers Bryant wore during his legendary 20-year career with the Lakers. Both players chose their numbers because they idolized Bryant growing up, Bogdanovic in Serbia and Hield in the Bahamas, a symbol of his global impact on the game.
“I see a lot of guys changing their numbers and I respect that, too,” Bogdanovic said following a 120-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center. “I talked to Buddy. He likes his number and I like mine, so we will keep it in his honor. I think that’s also another way to show respect.”
According to various reports, the following players have decided to give up Nos. 8 and 24: Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets; Terrence Ross of the Orlando Magic; Markieff Morris of the Detroit Pistons; Moe Harkless of the Los Angeles Clippers; Jahlil Okafor of the New Orleans Pelicans; Mason Plumlee of the Denver Nuggets; Alec Burks of the Golden State Warriors; and Miye Oni of the Utah Jazz. Oni will now wear No. 81 in a tribute to Bryant’s 81-point game in a 122-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006.
Quinn Cook of the Los Angeles Lakers is changing from No. 2 to No. 28 to honor Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, a promising young player who wore No. 2 before perishing in the crash with her father and seven others. Cook reportedly chose No. 28 because it combines Gianna’s No. 2 with Bryant’s No. 8.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said his team will retire No. 24 in Bryant’s honor.
Bogdanovic has a deep respect for Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Bogdanovic explained he wore No. 13 for Partizan Belgrade and Fenerbahce because Nos. 8 and 24 were not available, and because Bryant was the 13th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft.
“One of the main reasons I was 13 overseas is because he was (the) 13th pick,” Bogdanovic said. “… It was because of his draft and, obviously, because of him.”
‘Kob would’ve been proud’
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul brought a touch of levity to a difficult situation when he talked about returning to the court against the Kings on Wednesday for the first time since Sunday’s tragedy. Paul said he invoked Bryant’s name during a late-game conversation with rookie two-way player Luguentz Dort, who scored a career-high 23 points.
“Probably the best thing I could’ve done is to get out there and play,” Paul said. “Kob wouldn’t have had it any other way. I actually told Dort towards the end of the game, Kob would’ve been proud of him because he had 23 points and no assists. Kob was all about being aggressive and staying aggressive.”
Houston has a problem
Houston Rockets guard James Harden shot 38.9 percent from 3-point range in November and 42.5 percent in December. In January, he’s shooting 25.2 percent.
Over the past seven games, Harden has made just 13 of 71 (.182) from beyond the arc. He was 5 of 19 against the Memphis Grizzlies, 1 of 17 against the Thunder and 0 of 6 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Decline in salary cap
The NBA is expected to inform teams of declines in salary cap and luxury tax projections due to losses in league revenue, perhaps as soon as Thursday, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks.
The revised projections will reportedly be provided before the Feb. 6 trade deadline to allow teams to make more informed decisions regarding rosters and finances. ESPN reported that losses in China-driven revenue have prompted many front offices to prepare for the possibility of 2020-21 salary cap projections falling from $116 million to $113 million.
