Kobe Bryant Fans Push for NBA Game Cancellations in Wake of Lakers Icon's Death

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was one of nine people that died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, a tragedy that shocked the nation. Players around the NBA were devastated by the news and were seen sitting courtside in tears. Fans of the teams were simply shocked that they were even being forced to play on Sunday.

The NBA Commissioner needs to cancel the games today and for a good portion of this week. These men played with Kobe Bryant, they idolized him, please let them mourn. The games aren’t worth it, life is too precious. https://t.co/4SgagOSLEy

— Queer Latifah (@BougieBlackness) January 26, 2020

There were eight games scheduled for Sunday, all of which took place following the news of Bryant's death. Teams such as the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, and Brooklyn Nets were all preparing to take the court, but the fans didn't want this to happen. Instead, they wanted commissioner Adam Silver to cancel the day's schedule so the players could properly mourn.

"Bro cancel the games everyone needs to f—ing not play," one user wrote on Twitter. "Make it 81 games this season to honor Kobe...Feel like I could throw up ... RIP."

As many fans pointed out on Twitter, the current members of the Lakers were devastated by the news of Bryant's death. There was video footage that showed LeBron James in tears following the team's arrival back in Los Angeles.

"NBA should cancel games today," The Athletic's Sam Vecenie wrote. "Can't remember more stunning news than this, and can't imagine a lot of these guys who have all had experiences with Kobe would want to play right now."

There were several fans on social media that said that the games should continue as planned because "that's what Kobe would want," but that opinion was met with considerable criticism. The majority of users felt that wins and losses were irrelevant at this point in time. The far more important thing was simply honoring Bryant and providing the active players with the proper time to mourn.

"Cancel the games, dude. This is too much. There isn't a player in the league who didn't grow up watching or play with Kobe. This is bigger than any one game," another user added to the conversation. They saw Tyson Chandler of the Houston Rockets fighting back his emotions on the bench and knew that several other players were dealing with similar situations.

Despite the push for the cancellations, there are no expectations for this to take place. Business Insider reported that the games will continue as planned.

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