Kobe Bryant: ‘NBA 2K20’ Adds ‘KB’ Jersey Patch

Following the death of basketball icon Kobe Bryant, NBA 2K20 has reveled that it has added a ‘KB’ patch on the players’ characters’ jerseys. The new patch was revealed when a photo went viral, showing Lebron James’ playable character with the patch on his jersey, right above a Nike Swoosh symbol. The memorial patch comes after Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other individuals died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26.

Following the terrible incident, Bryant’s wife Vanessa — Gianna’s mother — issued a statement, in an Instagram post. “My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers,” she wrote. “We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.”

She went on to say, “We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately. 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. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.

“I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible 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 endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever,” Vanessa also wrote.

“Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality,” she added. “To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy. To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org.
To further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org.

Finally, Vanessa concluded her post by writing, “Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers, and for loving Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, Capri and me.”

Bryant is survived by his wife and three of his daughters.