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Kobe Mourners Throw Paper Balls at Trash Can Outside Staples Center

Fans gathered outside of Los Angeles’s Staples Center on Monday, January 27, to pay tribute to NBA great Kobe Bryant after he and eight others were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

Fans held a vigil outside the Lakers’ home arena and memorialized Bryant by tossing wads of paper at a small trash can while yelling “Kobe” – a longstanding fan tradition indicating a wish for Bryant-like success.

The NBA postponed the Lakers-Clippers game scheduled for Tuesday, January 28, "out of respect for the Lakers organization, which is deeply grieving the tragic loss of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people in a helicopter crash on Sunday,” the league said in a statement.

Nine people died in the crash, including Bryant, his daughter Gianna, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, and Ara Zobayan, media reported. Credit: @collinpdonovan via Storyful