The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has witnessed many prolific players in their history, one of the biggest being the late great Kobe Bryant. Kobe won five NBA titles with the Lakers in his 20-season-long career. As a mark of respect to the legend, the franchise retired his iconic jersey numbers 8 and 24. However, a new Lakers player impressed the fans with his special tribute to the 18x NBA All-Star and his daughter Gianna Bryant. Reacting to the tribute, NBA fans flooded the comments section on Twitter with their thoughts. 

The Lakers recently traded Kendrick Nunn for the Washington Wizards‘ Rui Hachimura ahead of the trade deadline. The Japanese star has had an impressive season averaging 13 points in 34 games. Even though he adds offensive strength to the team with his stats, he further impressed fans with a special ode to the ‘Black Mamba’ and Gigi.

Hachimura’s unique dedication to Kobe Bryant and Gianna

Kobe Bryant could arguably be the greatest player of the game, and Rui Hachimura decided to pay tribute to the legend with his jersey number. He picked Gianna’s jersey number 2, and Bryant’s old jersey number 8 which eventually translated to 28. Furthermore, NBA Central shared Hachimura’s tribute on Twitter, triggering a flurry of tweets from the fans.

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One user said, “this is crazy.” The Japanese star’s ode helped him become a new fan favorite for Lakers fans.

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Following are some reactions from NBA Twitter:

Notably, Hachimura played in the game against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. He scored 19 points with 9 rebounds in 40 minutes, helping the Lakers to seal the game 123-129. 

Lakers star may be upset with Hachimura trade

Lakers point guard Dennis Schroder didn’t seem happy with the new trade as he expressed his thoughts on a live stream. Dennis Schroder exclaimed in surprise that the team traded Kendrick Nunn. 

He said, “Wait, for Kendrick Nunn?”. Shortly after, Schroder messaged Nunn and said, “It’s crazy man. NBA is a business. Insane.” However, the new addition could possibly help the franchise as they struggle in 13th place in the Western Conference with a 24-28 record.

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What do you make of Rui Hachimura’s tribute? Let us know in the comments below.