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Kobe Bryant played in his career a total of 18 All Stars and is the second player who has done it most times, but this 2020 edition could be added as the nineteenth, because his presence in the United Center and throughout Chicago is constant. Already on Friday and Saturday they were especially emotional, with words from his beloved Pau Gasol included in the opening of the event. On Saturday during the media attention of the protagonists in the game of the stars were many questions from the national and international press about how they mourned the loss of Bryant.

Since the journalist, athlete or worker of the event collects their accreditation at the hotel of the organization, Kobe is already present. The back indicates which areas you can access in the two pavilions next to two photos that shake when you look at them, that of the Lakers legend and that of Commissioner David Stern . Two losses for which the NBA was not prepared, at least not in such a short time. From the first minute you see any of the accreditations and make it clear that it is the first All Star without them.

It's constant. Tributes organized at an institutional level, improvised, of the professionals, of the fans ... if the statue of Michael Jordan located in the United Center could speak, I would ask who is that of the number 8 or 24 that all those who are photographed next to it carry on t-shirts We could say that Kobe has conquered the temple where his referent made history in this basketball.

This Sunday promises to overcome it, because the impact will be greater, and those who pay tribute will be their own companions and rivals, a large number of them were also personal friends of the Mamba and knew perfectly what it was to share a track that special day together to the. Chris Paul himself reminded him with a lot of pain in Chicago: "It's crazy, you don't believe it until someone asks you about it. I try to be busy, not to think about it, it's not real that he's gone."

The break will also be very special, it is where the NBA plans to emotionally charge the memory of the disappeared, both Kobe and Gianna , as David Stern himself. The singer Jennifer Hudson , a Chicago native, will be responsible for carrying the main weight of the performance and thrill the United Center.

Forever in the Hall of Fame

The weekend of the stars in the NBA always leaves us the usual announcement of the names that will be part of the promotion that enters the Hall of Fame in Springfield. It was an open secret that Kobe would be on the list but this Friday was confirmed. Next to him were included other illustrious contemporaries of his career such as Tim Duncan or Kevin Garnett . It was not what Kobe needed to be a legend, but rather a debt that the world of basketball had with him and his legacy in this sport. During his years of activity he inspired in favor of the practice of basketball, regardless of borders, and his name will be where he should, along with so many others who did it before.

System change to honor you

The figure of Kobe Bryant will be present in every corner of the United Center, but one of the most relevant winks that the NBA will do to honor him will be the change of the game system in Sunday's game. The previous model was already shouting for a change, but it has also taken advantage of the turn to pay tribute. The last quarter will not be played on time as usual, but there will be a winning basket of the team that reaches before the score set as the target. That final figure will be the sum of all points of the team that goes ahead plus the 24 points added in honor of Bryant's number.

There are many players who will dress short tonight at the United Center and had a huge bond with Kobe. Starting with LeBron himself and following each and every one of the generation partners who enjoyed him as friends and suffered as rivals. The numbers they will wear will be 24 and 2, also in honor of their daughter Gianna. The shirt will also have a patch with nine stars in respect to the nine killed in the helicopter accident.

'Mamba Mentality'

It is not a new expression but it has become fashionable and is on the lips of, above all, the younger players. This Friday after the Rookies game , many of them said they played with 'Mamba Mentality', always play hard and intense . The legacy of Kobe Bryant went deep into the new generations, and many of those present at the promises party had taken advantage of his time at the Staples Center to photograph himself with his idol in the front row.

In addition to this are the cases of Trae Young and Luka Doncic , both were the idols of Gianna. For the memory, that image of Kobe will be forever speaking in Slovenian to the Mavericks star so that a picture was taken with his daughter. Kobe always influenced, but this group that begins to make its place in the league carry 'the poison of the Mamba'.

The Kobe T-shirt at a gold price

The organization of the event always enables merchandising stores that, as in every All Star, sell all the clothes and accessories that the stars of the league will wear in the different competitions. It is a very high source of income related to the local public, together with the sale of tickets they add a good pinch that make a huge profit on the final balance of the three days. In some cases, clothing from the host team that lends the pavilion is also on sale. But this time there is an exclusive article that has urgently joined the product dossier and competes directly in sales for being the best seller, it is the Kobe Bryant game shirt with the Lakers. The surprising thing about all this is the price, sellers do not shake the pulse when labeling it for 380 dollars , and some followers also when buying it. As always, objects of worship entail a notable price increase and Kobe has now become the main claim after his death.

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