Trae Young and Devin Booker played with heavy hearts Sunday, but they managed to honor one of their idols with dazzling performances.
The shocking death of Kobe Bryant shook the basketball world to its core. Young and Booker were among the host of NBA players who were moved to tears by the news, and after battling through their emotions, they combined for stat lines that were almost too good to be true.
Booker logged a game-high 36 points in the Phoenix Suns’ loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, while Young’s 45 points were the high mark in the Atlanta Hawks’ win over the Washington Wizards. Both players took 24 shots on the night, the same number Bryant famously donned for a portion of his career. Not to mention, the two point totals add up to 81, the same number of points Bryant dropped in one of the best performances of his historic career.
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 27, 2020
The side-by-side jersey numbers only add to the significance.
Young also dished out 14 assists in one of his better showings of the season. The last player to record a 45-point double-double with under 25 field-goal attempts? You guessed it. Bryant accomplished the feat in December 2006, also against the Wizards (h/t Cox Media Group’s Kevin Keneely).
The sharpshooting guard is confident Bryant was looking down on him amid his big night.
Can’t make this up…😢
He was with me tonight🙏🏽❤️ https://t.co/uvse4bMpuK— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) January 27, 2020
Now that’s how you pay tribute to a legend.
