Kobe Bryant's death has left a lasting impact on the NBA community. The Los Angeles Lakers legend is one of the best basketball players of all-time and inspired countless people. There have been various stories of NBA players coming out and saying how much they love Kobe and what he told them in a time of need. Whether you were a fan of his or not, there is no denying what Kobe was able to do as both a player and a human being.

This weekend, Chicago is the home of the All-Star game and at the arena, there is a huge Kobe Bryant memorial where people can leave signatures. Today on First Take, Miami Heat legend did just that as he placed his name amongst many others. You can see him pen his tribute in the clip below.

Kobe Bryant’s passing alongside his daughter in a helicopter crash came as a shocking and unexpected tragedy. Bryant is one of the best players in NBA history and continues to be regarded as such, even in passing. As you can imagine, players on the Los Angeles Lakers were absolutely shocked when they heard the news and were visibly devasted over the loss of one of the game’s biggest legends. In fact, the players found out about the tragedy while flying home from a road trip.

During the latest episode of Danny Green’s podcast, Lakers player Quinn Cook spoke about finding out about Kobe’s passing and how the mood on the plane was incredibly sad.

“I look in front of me and I just see LeBron and AD and Randy and AB, Dwight — everybody was just crushed,” Cook said before describing the prayer LeBron James led on the plane. “[It] was very, very, very, powerful. And, after that, like Danny will tell you, I was crushed. I was crying the whole flight. I was absolutely destroyed.”

Cook later spoke about how the team is still going through the trauma of Kobe’s loss but the practices and games are helping them get through everything. It’s clear the Lakers are a team of brothers and they are doing everything in their power to honor Kobe’s legacy.

LeBron James and Monté Morris got into a bit of a situation on Wednesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets. As we reported yesterday, Morris said something to LeBron which led to a quick response from the Lakers superstar who began walking back in Morris' direction. Nothing came of their trash talk battle although the whole scene quickly made its way to social media where Lakers fan were in hysterics. Many began to speculate what was said although we'll never know for sure.

Yesterday, Morris took to Twitter where he commented on the altercation. As Morris explains, it's not as major as everyone thought it was and that he has a ton of respect for the NBA legend. Clearly, the two are on okay terms. 

Zach LaVine has consistently been one of the best dunkers in the entire NBA. This was discovered during the 2016 NBA All-Star Dunk Contest when LaVine went toe-to-toe with Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic. Many felt as though Gordon was robbed of a win although LaVine was simply magical as he came through with some incredibly heroic moves. While he isn't participating in the competition this year, it hasn't stopped him from trying out some incredible dunks in practice.

In the clip below, LaVine attempts to pull off a 360 dunk all while jumping from the free-throw line. Of course, Michael Jordan infamously dunked from the free-throw line except the major difference is that Jordan went straight to the hoop as opposed to LaVine who tried to spin all the way around.

Zion Williamson has only been playing for less than a month now but his impact has already been felt around the league. So far, Zion has been an offensive machine and continues to dominate night in and night out. Perhaps the best example of this was last night when he put up 32 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite the loss, Williamson was able to make history with a few records.

For instance, Zion is now the youngest player in NBA history to record 20 points or more in six consecutive games. In fact, he's the fourth teenager to score 30 points in consecutive games but the first to do it within his first 10 matches in the league. He also matched a 35-year record from Michael Jordan as he has scored over 20 points in 8 of his first 10 games.

If you're familiar with Josh Hart, then you know he is frequently disrespected when trying to go for a high five with his teammates. Since his days with the Lakers, Hart has been seen dapping himself up after being left hanging. Hart's propensity for being left with his hand in the air has made him a meme of sorts, throughout the NBA. Despite this, Hart has been able to keep a positive attitude and continues to high five himself when left disrespected.

Last night, it was Zion Williamson who gave Hart the cold shoulder. As you can see in the clip below, Hart keeps his hand in the air for at least five seconds but Zion won't even acknowledge him. Hart was to the right of Zion so this can be chalked up to Williamson not seeing his teammate in his peripheral vision. Regardless, it made for a hilarious clip.  

LeBron James and Michael Jordan are considered to be two of the best players in NBA history. They have accomplished a great deal throughout their careers and combined, they have nine championships. They hold multiple scoring records and are revered by numerous fans both young and old. With that being said, it shouldn't be surprising that memorabilia involving the two would sell for an obscene amount of money.

According to Darren Rovell, the trading card below, from the 2003-2004 season, recently sold for $900,000 through Goldin Auctions. What makes this card so special is that it's a one-of-one and features two NBA logo patches that came right off of Jordan and LeBron's jerseys.  

After taking Sunday Service across America, including Chicago, it appears that Kanye West will be bringing his weekly spiritual retreat to his old stomping grounds for NBA All-Star weekend. Earlier today, ‘Ye announced that this week’s Sunday Service will take place at the Credit Union 1 Arena, formerly the UIC Pavilion, Sunday at 2 p.m.

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Once again, the rapper will be bringing his gospel-infused performance, along with the Sunday Service choir, where he’ll perform God-oriented songs from his own catalog and others. Kanye’s Sunday Service shows have been popping up during major weekends. A few weeks back, he brought the Sunday Service to Miami to coincide with Super Bowl Weekend. 

Unfortunately, Kanye’s religious alignment has found him in hot water after he headlined an evangelical event with a group that’s been known to spew anti-LGBTQ+ messages. Prior to that, he began to work with Joel Osteen for massive events across the world including in Chicago, although it’s unclear if Osteen will be pulling up to the NBA All-Star weekend. 

It appears as though Kanye’s Sunday Service gig will be sticking for the foreseeable future. 2019 marked a sharp shift in Kanye’s musical direction as he committed to making non-secular music moving forward. The rapper released Jesus Is King in the fall and celebrated Christmas with the release of Sunday Service’s Jesus Is Born. 

During the trade deadline, Andrew Wiggins was traded to the Golden State Warriors as the Minnesota Timberwolves got D’Angelo Russell in return. Fans were concerned about how Wiggins would fit in with the squad but so far, it seems like the coaches are loving his presence. It was assumed that Wiggins would be taking a more complementary role and so far, that’s exactly what’s happened. As some of the coaches recently explained, Wiggins has been a perfect fit and they already feel like the team has improved.

“We’re having more fun,” a Warriors coach said according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “The puzzle now fits.”

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Meanwhile, head coach Steve Kerr echoed those sentiments noting just how much he loves working with Wiggins and how he fits their rotations a lot better.

“We’ve been able to plug him in on the opponent’s best player,” Kerr said. “That alone just allows us to set up our defense better. Because of his size and length, you can put him on the opponent’s best guy and match up from there.”

For now, Wiggins will have to pick up the slack as both Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are out with injuries. Once they come back, Wiggins will be able to assume that complementary role and completely rebrand his career.

NBA All-Star weekend is in Chicago this year which means Bulls fans are extremely excited about the event. The Bulls have boasted some incredible All-Stars over the years including the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. One of their biggest rivals during the late 80s and early 90s was none other than the Detroit Pistons led by Isiah Thomas. Today, Thomas was on First Take where he talked about the Bulls-Pistons rivalry and how he felt about it all.

As you can imagine, Thomas was quite defensive when pressed by Max Kellerman. Kellerman made the argument that once Jordan got another All-Star, he was finally able to push the Pistons to seven games. Thomas countered that argument by saying he never needed another All-Star and did it all himself. He later said head-to-head the Pistons were better which, of course, was met with some raucous boos from the Chicago crowd.