Weekend Basketball Update: 76ers vs. Lakers and Kobe Bryant

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For my next post, I wanted to do some sports writing by covering the phenomenal game on Saturday, January 25th between the Sixers and the Lakers. Before I was able to sit down and write, the entire sports and worldwide culture was turned on its head with the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna. I’m going to call and audible and write about both in a weekend basketball update.

Going into Saturday’s game, I was not feeling confident about the Sixers’ chances. Coming off of a tough loss against Toronto, the Sixers now had to host LeBron, Anthony Davis, and Co. to the Wells Fargo Center while still being without starters Joel Embiid and Josh Richardson. In order to stand a chance against one of the league’s hottest teams, the remaining starters would need to step up in a huge way. They stepped up and then some.

Ben Simmons came to play with one of his best performances on the season by going 12/15 for 28 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals. He and Matisse Thybulle’s stifling defense kept the Lakers’ wings in check the entire game.

Tobias Harris also left his mark on the game by coming out with 29 points and 8 rebounds in a highly pivotal nationally televised game. Hopefully this gives the Sixers an extra confidence boost as they navigate their way through the rest of the season.

It was also a big night for LeBron James. During the game, he passed Kobe Bryant to movie into the #3 spot in the NBA’s all-time point scoring list. He now only trails Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who are #2 and #1 respectively.

It feels strange that this happened just a day before Kobe would tragically be killed in a helicopter crash. He and eight others, including his daughter Gianna, were on board at the time.

Growing up in true Philadelphia fashion, I did not like Kobe Bryant just like I didn’t like anyone else from the Lakers. They were so good almost every year of my childhood, and they prevented my favorite player in Allen Iverson from winning a championship. However, his impact was never lost on me.

A true trail blazer just like Iverson, his influence would transcend the game and into pop and world culture. After his playing days were done, my opinion eased up a bit as he began his involvement with the Eagles and started working on awesome projects like his collaboration with Glen Keane on “Dear Basketball.”


Events like this always put things into perspective. Team allegiances fall by the wayside. At the end of the day, the game pales in comparison to who these players are as people. It is a great tragedy that their lives were cut short at such an early age. Whether you were a fan or not, he will be truly missed by the basketball and worldwide communities at large.

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