NBA 2K20 players and devs are paying tribute to Kobe Bryant

(Image credit: 2K Games/Twitter user @stoolgametime)

It was both unbelievable and devastating when news broke that 41-year-old basketball phenom Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter accident this past Sunday. That his daughter Gigi was on board, along with seven others, made it even more tragic. NBA 2K20 players and developers are honoring the basketball legend in a truly touching way, one that managed to bring a genuine smile to my face after a day of feeling incredibly down. 

First, 2K games dropped a large banner into the game's home screen. When you boot up NBA 2K, you're greeted with a simple black and white photo of Bryant with "1978 - 2020" emblazoned below his name. The official NBA2K Twitter account also shared an image of Bryant. 

Then, in the Neighborhood, the public area where you can play pick-up basketball games with your avatar, players amassed there donning Bryant's Lakers jersey and other LA gear. Some players even custom-made Bryant shirts to wear in the Neighborhood. Twitter user @beeniicole shared a video of players walking around a court, clapping and throwing up signs honoring him. 

Players are also purposefully taking 24-second long shot clock violations in online games, as shared by Twitter user @shaitime2. Bryant wore two different jersey numbers during his tenure as a Laker: 8 and 24. Professional NBA players were also taking 24-second long shot clock violations in the games they played last night, many of which were incredibly somber experiences that fans and reporters alike believe should have been cancelled. 

The legacy of Kobe Bryant as a basketball player is untouchable, and while there is a valid and necessary discussion that must be had regarding his personal life and the sexual assault allegations he faced in the early 2000s, it is certainly touching to see his hoops legacy honored in NBA 2K20. There were also eight other people that lost their lives in this tragedy, including his young daughter, who was well on her way to becoming a professional WNBA player. In his post-NBA life, Kobe was a champion of women's sports (including the US Women's National soccer team), a supporter of current NBA players, and an Oscar winner for Dear Basketball.

It's nice to see video games being used to spread some much-needed love. 

If you're interested, here's the NBA 2K20 player ratings

Alyssa Mercante

Alyssa Mercante is an editor and features writer at GamesRadar based out of Brooklyn, NY. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.

Latest in NBA 2K
A screenshot from the reveal trailer for NBA 2K25: Gravity Ball, showing a group of people stood outside the Gravity Ball building.
NBA 2K25 is taking notes from Fortnite, becoming a strange new digital platform by offering the only way to play the new game from acclaimed Lego racing devs
NBA 2K25
NBA 2K25 locker codes guide to free MyCareer and MyTeam items
NBA
NBA 2K23 player grinds for 700 hours, gets a tiny car and four badges
NBA 2K23
Nbasketball 23 tricked unwitting NBA 2K23 buyers before it was delisted from the Xbox store
NBA 2K23
Why I love NBA 2K23 despite not really caring about basketball
NBA 2K23
NBA 2K23 ratings guide with the top 10 players at every position
Latest in News
God of War
20 years later, God of War's original monster art has been revealed: behold this army of stick figures slapped on a whiteboard, no clue Kratos is coming for them
The T6 Power Armor
I'm about to spend over $400 on this iconic T60 Power Armor figurine because "Communism is the very definition of failure"
A large, muscly bloke eating noodles at a bar while two people point pistols at him from behind in Cyberpunk 2077.
The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 developer enters into partnership with Pokemon Go owner to create a new game "set within one of CD Projekt's IPs"
Owen Cooper in Adolescence
Sorry, Adolescence season 2 isn't happening, despite its 99% Rotten Tomatoes score and record-breaking Netflix audience
Daredevil: Born Again episode 6
Daredevil: Born Again's long-awaited moment has been called "pure cinema" featuring one of the "best lines in comic book movie history"
Daredevil looking mean and moody.
Daredevil: Born Again episode 5 just nodded to Thanos and the Avengers movies in the most obscure way