Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar paid a tribute to NBA legend Kobe Bryant who was killed in an accident on Sunday. Neymar’s tribute came after he scored his second goal of the match donning PSG colours against Lille in a Ligue 1 encounter.
Bryant died in a helicopter crash in Southern California. His 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant, who was also on board, has been declared dead along with seven other passengers. There has reportedly been no survivors from the crash.
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In this particular Ligue 1 encounter, PSG was awarded a penalty early in the second-half for a handball from Lille’s Reinildo Mandava. Neymar successfully netted a goal in that opportunity and then ran to the cameras showing two and four fingers on his hands- a reference to Bryant’s jersey number in the Los Angles Lakers.
“I went to see the messages on social media at halftime, I saw that Kobe is dead. It is a great sadness for the world of sport, and for all of us,” Neymar told French TV channel Canal Plus after the game as quoted by IANS.
“I knew him and I did this celebration to pay tribute to him. And I hope he will rest in peace,” he added.
With the help of Neymar’s brace, PSG eventually won the match 2-0 and find themselves at the top of the Ligue 1 points tally.