Watch: Lakers Crowd Cheers Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s Names in Striking Footage

Friday night was emotional in the STAPLES Center, as Los Angeles Lakers fans chanted the late Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna. The two perished in a helicopter crash on Sunday morning, and fans ahve been mourning ever since. Now, their impact on basketball lovers is clear.

Chants of “Kobe” and “GiGi” rang out in downtown L.A. on Friday night, as images of Bryant flashed on the jumbotron. Bryant was a legend in the NBA, and he spent his entire 20-year career there with the Lakers, so the loss was especially harsh on his home turf.

Bryant was also known as a consummate family man, who was outspoken about how much he loved being a “girl dad,” since all four of his children were girls. His 13-year-old, Gianna was a familiar sight to NBA fans, as she often sat beside her dad at NBA games and shared his love of the sport.

Bryant and Gianna were on their way to a youth basketball tournament at his Mamba Academy in Los Angeles on Sunday when the crash occured. Gianna was meant to play while Bryant was meant to coach, but their helicopter went down about 17 miles from its destination. There were no survivors.

Friday was the Lakers’ first game after Bryant’s death, following a postponement earlier in the week. It was an emotional night with several tributes to Bryant, including a rendition of “Amazing Grace” sung by Usher, and a performance of “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth at halftime.

Perhaps most heart-wrenching of all was a speech delivered by Bryant’s old teammate LeBron James. James took to the court with a microphone and a piece of paper, but then decided against reading the speech he had prepared ahead of time.

“Laker Nation, I would be selling y’all short if I read off this s—, so I’mma go straight from the heart,” he said.

Bryant is survived by his wife, Vanessa and three more daughters, including baby Capri who was born this past June. In her first social media post after the tragic crash, Vanessa thanked fans everywhere for their outpouring of support.

“My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time,” Vanessa wrote on Instagram. “Thank you for all the prayers. 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.”

“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,” Vanessa continued. “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.”

“Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us,” she concluded. “We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality.”