Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban relented Wednesday and the national anthem will be played before home games this season after the NBA reiterated its “longstanding league policy” to include the song.
The 57-year-old Hall of Famer, who played for the Hoyas in college and the New York Knicks in the NBA, announced Friday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and was being treated at a hospital.
The league circulated a memo to its teams Friday telling them to prepare in case it becomes necessary to play games without fans or media, as sports leagues in Europe have already done.
The celebration of life will feature music and retrospectives on Bryant’s career, along with speakers reflecting on his impact on his sport and the world.
Prior to the game, Hall of Famer Magic Johnson led a tribute to Kobe Bryant and Commissioner Emeritus David Stern, including an eight-second moment of silence, a nod to the number Bryant wore the first half of his career.
With a record 21 seasons with the same franchise, Dirk Nowitzki, who led the Mavericks to their only championship in 2011, is the NBA's highest-scoring foreign-born player.
