Joel Embiid took an extra step to honor Kobe Bryant during the Philadelphia 76ers’ game on Tuesday, but it came with a condition.
Jersey No. 24 is already retired by the 76ers to honor Bobby Jones, who played eight seasons for the team from 1978-1986.
Embiid called Jones and asked for permission to wear the number. Jones granted it, however, he had one condition.
Jones, who was nicknamed “The Secretary of Defense”, made the All-Defense team 11 times in his career. Kobe made it 12 times. Jones told Embiid that the big man had to play hard defense, because a lot of defense goes into No. 24.
Embiid wore the number for the game. He also told Jones how much Kobe meant to him growing up in Africa.
In 2018, Embiid actually wrote about how much Kobe meant to him.
That was my exposure to American culture — Bow Wow, Kanye and Kobe. Sometimes I’d go to this court by my house where guys would play pickup, and every time I’d shoot the ball, I’d literally yell out, “KOBE!”
Imagine it. I’m out there shooting bricks, yelling out Kobe, on a busted hoop in Cameroon.
Seven years later, I was playing Kobe.
In addition to Embiid’s tribute to Kobe, both the 76ers and Warriors took eight-second shot-clock violations to begin the game in honor of Kobe’s jersey numbers.
More must-reads: