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Nets honor Kobe, Gianna Bryant with tribute video, empty courtside seats

Jan. 29 (UPI) -- The Brooklyn Nets honored Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, before Wednesday night's game against the Detroit Pistons.

Bryant, 41, and Gianna were among nine killed in a helicopter crash Sunday in Calabasas, Calif. The group was headed to Mamba Sports Academy, a facility that Bryant created and coached at, for a girls basketball game when their helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances.

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The crash remains under investigation. There were no survivors.

Before the Nets tipped off against the Pistons, a two-minute video played on the video board at Barclays Center, showing Bryant's on-court highlights and photos of him alongside his daughter.

The video tribute ended with a spotlight shining on two empty courtside seats. The chairs had bouquets of purple and yellow flowers placed on them.

Bryant and his daughter previously sat in those courtside seats while watching the Nets play the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 21. During that matchup, cameras showed Bryant breaking down what was happening in the game with his daughter, who was a skilled youth basketball player that intended to play for UConn.

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The video clip of the moment between Bryant and Gianna went viral and has been recirculated in the days since the helicopter crash.

After the tribute video concluded, a 24-second moment of silence was observed in honor of one of Bryant's famous jersey numbers with the Lakers. Chants of "Kobe! Kobe!" broke out around the arena once the period ended.

The video board displayed the names of all nine victims who died in Sunday's crash. Other lights in the arena illuminated an "8" and "24" on the court during the tribute.

Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving, playing in his first game since missing time to mourn the death of Bryant, shed tears throughout the tribute.

Spencer Dinwiddie, who debuted his new jersey number, scored 28 points against the Pistons. Irving had 20 points, five assists and five rebounds in the Nets' 125-115 victory.

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