“Kobe, Kobe, Kobe!”: Fans at Staples Center chant the Laker legend’s name as LeBron James and co win Game 3 against the Suns

As the Lakers grab their first home playoff win since 2012, fans at Staples Center chant Kobe Bryant’s name in the final seconds of Game 3.

On Thursday night, defending champions Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Phoenix Suns team at the Staples Center for Game 3 of their first-round playoffs matchup. Coming off a huge Game 2 win, the Lakers looked like the favorites to win the game. Plus, with the injury sustained by veteran Suns guard Chris Paul, the team didn’t look as strong they did in Game 1.

LAL managed to grab a comfortable 109-95 win over a young Phoenix team. Anthony Davis’ huge 34-point and 11-rebounds double-double performance shadowed Ayton’s 22-point and 11-rebounds performance. With the much-needed win, the Lakers lead the series 2-1 for the first time.

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Los Angeles Lakers fans chant Kobe Bryant’s name during the final moments of the match

It surely was a special win for the Los Angeles franchise as they played and won their first home playoff game since 2013. Even though LeBron James and his squad won the finals last year, they had to play at the Bubble. As coach Frank Vogel called it, the team felt a “void in experience last year”. However, playing in front of an electric Staples Center crowd was definitely motivating for the team, which resulted in a win over the 2nd seed Phoenix.

During the final seconds of the Lakers-Suns battle, the enthusiastic fans started to chant for Kobe Bryant. Maybe the fans wanted to motivate the Lakers’ players. Or perhaps, maybe they were reminiscing the last time a Kobe-led Los Angeles Lakers team played a playoff game at home. Whatever the intentions of the crowd were, they did in fact pay honor to the late icon as the playoff drought came to an end.

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Die-hard Lakers fans use any opportunity to pay their respects to the late Kobe Bryant. We also witnessed fans chanting his name outside Staples Center, when the Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th title at the Orlando Bubble last year.

With all the altercations fans are having with the NBA players this postseason, this was surely a beautiful moment to witness.