Trae Young Held Up Kobe’s Number After Hitting A Dagger Against The Clippers

Trae Young had a monster night against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, scoring 38 points on 12-for-23 shooting with five assists in a 108-99 Atlanta Hawks win. Late in the game, Young hit a triple from quite a way behind the three-point line that sealed the deal for Atlanta, and right after the shot went in, he paid a subtle tribute to someone else who was known for having prolific games against the Clippers.

Young pointed to a spot on the floor, and as he was walking to his bench following a timeout, held up a 2 on one hand and a 4 on the other in memory of the late Kobe Bryant, who died one year ago on Tuesday in a helicopter crash.

Young was a gigantic fan of Bryant, and on the day of his passing last year changed up his number to Bryant’s original digit, 8, during the game that the Hawks had that night before switching back to his normal number, 11. He didn’t go to quite those lengths this year, but still, hitting a big shot against a team that Bryant routinely tormented during his Hall of Fame career and then flashing his number on his fingers isn’t a bad way for Young to join the chorus of folks in the basketball universe who honored Kobe on Tuesday.