As the NBA continues to honor the life of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, it has been announced both All-Star Game teams will wear No. 24 and No. 2 jerseys in tribute. Team LeBron will don Gianna's jersey number, No. 2, while Team Giannis will take Kobe's No. 24.
Complex Sports editor Adam Caparel confirmed the news on Twitter. "In addition, both teams will wear jersey patches displaying nine stars, representing those who lost their lives in the crash, including John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah and Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan," a representative for the league added.
On Thursday, the NBA announced that the All-Star Game format would be changed in order to honor Kobe Bryant. The first three quarters of the game will be structured as separate mini-games played for charity, with the score resetting at the start of each quarter. The fourth will ultimately determine the winner and will be untimed, with both teams aiming for a set score of 24 points.
"We spent a lot of time considering the right target number to use for the fourth quarter," said the NBA’s president for league operations, Byron Spruell. "Through the events of this week it became clear to us that the only appropriate number for this season’s All-Star game is 24."
