"1, 2, 3 ... Mamba!": How Kobe Bryant's Death Boosted The Los Angeles Lakers ... And The NBA

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"1, 2, 3 ... MAMBA!"

.

Since last

, every

training

has ended with that cry: Mamba!

"Kobe has been with us the entire trip this year," explained Frank Vogel, the team's coach.

We say that when we come together to try to represent what he embodied and honor his memory. "

In Game 2 of the Western Conference final against the Denver Nuggets,

erupted into a "

!"

after scoring the triple that gave the all-important second victory to his team: Kobe !.

"That shot would have been made by Kobe," Vogel was encouraged to recall as soon as the match ended.

"Davis comes, runs to the side, catches the ball and shoots. It's a Mamba shot."

And in the early morning of last Friday to Saturday, under the lights without an audience of the

, the purple and gold were transformed into

in the kit of the Californian franchise.

The

' version that Bryant himself helped Nike design.

The one Davis had used during that "Kobe!"

of the second game against Denver and what half Los Angeles expected to be the

'

.

The one that equaled the

figure

.

The one that ended the worst years of the organization.

The one that put an

and at the same time paid tribute to who had made one of the great organizations in world sport great, bigger.

But Danny Green missed the decisive 3-pointer and the Lakers had to wait two more nights.

To Sunday, without the black and gold on his body, with the purple and gold on, but with Bryant and his daughter Gianna in his memory and in an inch of the shirt.

Forever.

Kobe's presence is eternal in the bubble, and winning with the kit he had designed (they were undefeated with it) was the obsession of the entire Los Angeles squad.

Close the circle in the most romantic way possible.

"We didn't want to lose to him, we didn't want to disappoint him. No way," reflected Anthony Davis.

Miami won fifth, but the ring finally makes its way back to California.

"We didn't want to disappoint him," repeated Davis, a little brother to Kobe, who had him under his arm during the London Olympics, to which Davis went almost as a teenager.

"We wanted to do this for him and make everyone proud. Vanessa, the organization ... All of this has given us even more strength."

"It's

" LeBron acknowledged.

"The

" summarized Anthony Davis.

"It will always have an impact on the game, not just us," said Danny Green.

And at the top of the pavilion, hanging for the memory,

'

.

Observing each and every one of the matches.

"When I look up and see those numbers,

" admits LeBron.

The

collapsed the sentimental foundations of the NBA.

It caused the union of some Lakers who had experienced the resignation of

as president a few months before.

He brought out to the center of the

a

who became human through tears in a speech that still moves today.

And he relaunched the season of a team that could not find itself, forcing them and giving them that extra effort for a title that had the '8' and the '24' written since that fateful night in January.

"This uniform represents a guy who gave 20 years of his blood, sweat and tears to this franchise. Who

, and I hope the other way around too. "LeBron explained this week.

The '23' promised to "continue the legacy" of Kobe after his death: "You mean a lot to all of us, especially to the Lakers fans, and it is my responsibility to put this on my shoulders and carry it forward."

For the Lakers and for the NBA

The memory of Kobe Bryant has not only been present in the heads of the players and the Lakers coaching staff, but also in the rest of the NBA.

Most of the league's stars grew up watching the 'Mamba' titles and

, in a farewell that crossed franchise offices from east to west.

In Orlando it was no different.

They have been the first Playoffs, the first Finals without a player who has marked a whole generation, and the NBA was not going to forget it.

"It cannot be denied that

" acknowledged Adebayo, center of the Heat.

Kobe was the idol of those who have played at Disneyworld

.

Jayson Tatum, star of the Celtics, a team that the Lakers have equaled today, has entered the pavilion several times wearing Bryant's jersey.

And

himself

received the Kobe jersey given away at the All-Star with more enthusiasm than his own trophy as the winner of the Skills Contest.

The young Heat has left a phrase these days that sums up the general feeling about Bryant: "His death has been the motivation of the Lakers. But I understand,

."

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