The news of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter's deaths as well as the others who were on the helicopter that crashed down in California Sunday morning was a shocker. People around the globe were stunned and saddened.
The mourning still goes on.
Rutgers wore white pregame shirts on Tuesday before the Scarlet Knights' win against Purdue that had Bryant's face on the front and 824 on the back, symbolizing the two jersey numbers Bryant wore, No. 8 and No. 24. It was one many ways teams around the country at all levels honored the late great.
"Any time something like that happens, it's just awful," Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. "I have a 13-year-old son, he loves Kobe too. What he means to a lot of people. I think all the guys took it hard.
"We wore that shirt today and when these guys grew up -- that was their guy. It was a tough week -- a tough week for everybody. But it makes you think about a lot of things and that's not a bad thing sometimes."
Ron Harper Jr. had the pleasure of spending time with Bryant throughout the years. His dad, Ron Harper Sr., who was in attendance at the RAC, played with Bryant from 1999-2001 with the Los Angeles Lakers and won two NBA titles.
In Twitter and Instagram posts on Sunday afternoon, Harper Jr. said, "24 Forever. Love you Unc." Harper wears No. 24 with the Scarlet Knights because of the five-time NBA champ, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and 11-time All-NBA Team pick.
"These guys grow up idolizing Kobe Bryant and Ron had a personal connection to him. It's just tough. It makes you appreciate life and all the people that you love. You're not promised anything," Pikiell said.
At one point in the game, Caleb McConnell copied a play out of Bryant's playbook and did a little shimmy and made a fadeaway jumper. As he made his way back up the court to play defense, McConnell flashed the No. 24 with both of his hands.
"It was sad," McConnell said of the tragedy. "All I can do is pray for the families in that situation."
Geo Baker, a junior co-captain, said the news hit him hard on Sunday.
"It's a terrible situation, but it makes you look at life differently," Baker said. "I always viewed Kobe as someone who was indestructible or immortal. He's a God in the basketball world. You know what I mean? It was something you don't expect to hear. You expect to hear he survived something like that somehow and saved everybody. That hit me."
Before the game, Baker brought his team together and he shared what he said.
"You have to enjoy life and embrace life," Baker said. "Like we talked about before the game. Enjoy every moment of this game whether you're playing well or playing bad. We can still do something special and this is a special group."
Richie Schnyderite contributed to this report. Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisWasky.
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