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TUESDAY'S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:NBA: Boston at Miami, 8 p.m. (TNT)AROUND THE WEB:
-- ESPN re-aired Kobe Bryant's final NBA game on Monday night and The Ringer tweeted out a video of Mike Tirico explaining Gordon Hayward's role in Bryant scoring 60 points.
But Hayward disputed the story on Twitter.
There's a moment from Kobe's final game that few people saw and nobody really remembers … but @miketirico won't ever forget it. pic.twitter.com/prJGObG58y
— The Ringer (@ringer) January 28, 2020Tirico claimed Hayward, a member of the Jazz at the time, helped Bryant by intentionally committing a lane violation on Bryant's final free throws in case he missed one.
In a series of tweets, Hayward said this is not true.
It has also come to my attention that there is a story going around tonight about an intentional lane violation that I took to ensure Kobe would get his 60th point in his final game and many are applauding me for the gesture. The fact of the matter is that is not true.
— Gordon Hayward (@gordonhayward) January 28, 2020That was a night that I will truly never forget as I can remember almost every moment of it and my goal that night was to compete as hard as I possibly could against Kobe because that is what he was all about and I wanted to give him my very best.
— Gordon Hayward (@gordonhayward) January 28, 2020He got 60 on me and I didn't give him anything free all night. What happened on the free throw line was not intentional. Kobe would have lost respect for me if I gave him something free. That's what made him so very special!
— Gordon Hayward (@gordonhayward) January 28, 2020Rest In Peace Kobe. I'm so honored to have shared our time on and off the court together!
— Gordon Hayward (@gordonhayward) January 28, 2020"He got 60 on me and I didn't give him anything free all night," Hayward wrote. "What happened on the free throw line was not intentional. Kobe would have lost respect for me if I gave him something free. That's what made him so very special!"
The Lakers won that game 101-96.
-- An online petition to change the NBA logo to a depiction of Kobe Bryant has earned over one million signatures.
Following his death on Sunday, many tweeted the idea to change the league's logo and a petition, titled, "Petition to make Kobe Bryant the new NBA Logo," was then started by Nick M. on change.org.
No disrespect to Jerry West but I think it's time they change that #NBA Logo pic.twitter.com/1Gbr85amQa
— -- AM . . (@too_smooth25) January 26, 2020"The support on this petition has been out of this WORLD," Nick wrote on the petition page. "I want to deeply thank everybody who contributed through signing and donating to the petition. When I started this I didn't expect much to come out of it my goal was 100 signatures at best. We are now at 16,000! I hope with our effort that our dream does come true and we are able to see Kobe Bryant engraved into the NBA Logo. Let's continue to spread this petition out! And as Kobe would've said, 'Mamba out.'"
Julian Edelman even advocated for the logo change on Tuesday.
#ChangeTheLogo pic.twitter.com/6go4nA3KOd
— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) January 28, 2020Jerry West has yet to comment on the petition but he commented on Bryant's death on Good Morning America.
Jerry West talks about the loss of Kobe Bryant.(-- @GMA)pic.twitter.com/yar5M28J6L
— LAKERFANATICS -- (@LAKERFANATICS) January 27, 2020QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Yeah, he shot me a text. Just good luck and everything like that. Go handle business. It wasn't anything complicated. It was just, 'Go handle business. Go win.'" --Jimmy Garoppolo, on Tom Brady
