Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Bryce Harper wore a Kobe Bryant jersey underneath his Phillies uniform on Sunday.
It’s only been a few months since Kobe Bryant’s tragic death, and with Sunday being his birthday, there have been dozens of tributes to the late Los Angeles Lakers legend that transcend beyond just the confines of the NBA.
In the Philadelphia Phillies‘ game against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, Bryce Harper revealed he was wearing a black Kobe Bryant jersey underneath his Phillies uniform to commemorate No. 8.
These are the Black Mamba uniforms the Lakers will soon wear in their first-round playoff matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers. Los Angeles will debut these new uniforms as a tribute to Kobe in Game 4, which takes place on Aug. 24 — 8/24, the two numbers Bryant wore during his playing career.
Bryce Harper wearing Kobe Bryant’s jersey was a touching tribute.
Though having that extra layer on underneath his Phillies jersey won’t exactly increase the right fielder’s mobility, Harper’s tribute to Kobe with the Black Mamba jersey was a touching one. The sports world is still reeling from his death, even months later during this brutal year that is 2020, which is why we’ve seen so many homages to the Lakers legend on what would’ve been his 42nd birthday.
The Los Angeles Dodgers put together a tribute video narrated by Vin Scully. LeBron James shared an old video of himself singing “Happy Birthday” to Kobe back in 2008 during their days playing together with Team USA in the Olympics, and of course the Lakers had an emotional tribute video for one of the greatest players in their franchise’s prestigious history.
Harper’s tribute to Kobe was more understated, but still a touching one and yet another testament to just how many people Bryant’s Hall-of-Fame career impacted in some way or another.