Trae Young Honored Kobe Bryant In Hawks Win

In the middle of a tragedy, the Atlanta Hawks got a respite from it all when the team had to take the court against the Washington Wizards. Trae Young honored the late, great Kobe Bryant, whether he meant to or not.

With the death of Kobe Bryant, along with 8 others, the Atlanta Hawks were slated to play a home game against the Washington Wizards. It was widely speculated as to whether the NBA should cancel all the games, including the Hawks game. However, with the Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs already tipped off, the rest of the remaining games went on as scheduled.

Trae Young had a special connection with Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant. Gianna’s favorite NBA player was Trae Young, despite being the daughter of one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game. After yesterday’s game, Trae posted that Gianna had attended three NBA games with two of those being Trae Young’s game. The connection with Kobe and Gianna was real for Trae. He wanted to put on a show for them both.

Last night’s Hawks-Wizard game was an offensive explosion, mostly a faceoff between Trae Young and Bradley Beal. In the end, the Hawks and Trae outshoot the Wizards and Beal. Trae finished the game 45 points, 16 assists, and 6 rebounds. The special part of Trae’s night, purposely or not, finished the night with 24 shots, Kobe’s playing number. It was an efficient 13-24 night for Trae from the field. Also, Trae was the first player to have a 45 point double-double with less than 25 shots against the Washington Wizards since Kobe Bryant in 2006. You can’t make that stuff up.

The passing of Kobe Bryant will be hanging over the Hawks, the NBA, the sporting world for longer than just last night. A game scheduled for Tuesday between the Lakers and Clippers has been postponed. I know how this news feels in Atlanta. I can’t imagine what it’s like in Los Angeles and the Staples Center. Time will move on, eventually. But there is no denying, the loss of Kobe Bryant is a monumental blow to the NBA, the sports world, and, frankly, the world. It’s going to be felt for a long time to come. However, for a night, Trae Young got to honor the fallen legend. It was meant to be.