Page 21 - Florida Sentinel 1-31-20

Sports
Petition To Use Kobe Bryant Image In NBA Logo Has More Than 2.5 Million Signatures
Kobe Bryant celebrates after the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in Game Five of the 2009 NBA Finals. Bryant was one of nine people who died in a helicopter crash Sun- day morning in Calabasas.
In the days since the heli- copter crash that took the lives of Kobe Bryant, his 13- year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others, NBA play- ers and teams have been pay- ing tribute to the Lakers legend, with gestures includ- ing handwritten messages on their sneakers and intentional clock violations of eight and 24 seconds in honor of Bryant’s jersey numbers and custom pregame jerseys.
One fan has suggested a way the league can perma- nently honor one of its all- time greats — and more than 2 million people agree with the idea.
Change the logo.
A change.org user who
goes by Nick M has started a petition to urge the league to “immortalize [Bryant] for- ever as the new NBA logo.” The initial goal, Nick M wrote on the website, was “100 signatures at best.”
Vanessa Bryant Speaks Out On Instagram
Vanessa Bryant has made her first public comments fol- lowing the death of her 41-year- old husband Kobe Bryant and her 13-year-old daughter Gi- anna.
In an Instagram post, Bryant thanked the public out- pouring of grief and condo- lences that came after the horrific helicopter accident on Sunday that claimed her family members.
“My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time,” she wrote. “Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring hus- band, Kobe — the amazing fa- ther of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonder- ful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.”
She continued: “We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief inti- mately. There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved.
Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa Laine Bryant with their daughters Gianna Maria- Onore Bryant and Natalia Dia- mante Bryant at the premiere of "A Wrinkle In Time" in Los Angeles, CA.
We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful bless- ings taken from us too soon.
“I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s im- possible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is end- less — and that’s to say, im- measurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever.
To conclude, she asked for “the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new real- ity.”
‘He Gave His Life To The Lord:’ Kobe Bryant Prayed At Church Hours Before His Death
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant’s pastor says he went to pray at his church just hours before his life was cut short in a deadly helicopter crash.
“He just came and went qui- etly and prayed and gave his life to the Lord. And Sunday he had to give it back,” Father Steve Sallot said.
Sallot is the priest at Our Lady Queen of Angels in New- port Beach, Calif.
“We shook hands, I saw that he had blessed himself because there was holy water on his forehead. So I knew that he went in the chapel and prayed, came out and blessed himself. We spoke for a minute, shook hands and off he went,” Sallot said.
Sallot said he saw Bryant just before the 7 a.m. Mass on Sunday. The two chatted for a couple minutes, and then Bryant left for the airport.
KOBE BRYANT
Sallot said Bryant wasn’t able to stay for the service of the day but he had been in the prayer chapel.
“Normally I don’t really chat with him because as I said he would come in and leave qui- etly. And I respected that space for him. And yesterday I just happened to come in the same door as he was going out. And we call that ‘the backhand of grace.’ We got a moment for me that was grace. And hopefully, for him, it was as well,” Sallot said.
Jameis Donates $50,000 To Miles College
They’re buzzing in Alabama last week about generosity from Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jameis Winston.
The Bucs’ star quarterback donated $50,000 to Miles Col- lege, per a statement from the school. And the cash will be used for upgrades within the football program.
“I am so honored to support Miles College,” Winston said in the news release, via AL.com. “Although I did not at- tend Miles College, we’ve had a long-standing relationship that has allowed me to touch the
JAMEIS WINSTON
lives of thousands of youth from Birmingham and around the country. Miles has always had a special place in my heart because my mom is an alumna of this prestigious HBCU.”
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