NBA All-Star Game Players to Wear No. 24 and No. 2 to Honor Kobe and Gianna Bryant

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Team LeBron will wear No. 2 and Team Giannis will wear No. 24 to honor Gianna and Kobe Bryant.

This year's NBA All-Star Game jerseys will pay tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant and the seven others who

died in Sunday's helicopter crash in California.

Team LeBron [James] will wear No. 2, while Team Giannis [Antetokounmpo] will sport No. 24–Gianna and Kobe Bryant's jersey numbers, respectively. Gianna played at Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, Calif., where Kobe coached her team.

The NBA and NBPA announced that both teams will wear jersey patches displaying nine stars, representing those who lost their lives in the accident.

The league also changed the format of the All-Star Game to honor Bryant and his No. 24 jersey. Every quarter will be a mini-game for charity before an untimed final quarter with a target score that will decide which team wins. Scores will be reset—back to 0-0—at the start of the second and third quarters, then restored to begin the fourth quarter.

That's where the tribute to Bryant and the No. 24 jersey he wore for the last decade of his NBA career comes into play. The team that wins the All-Star Game will be the first to reach a target score, determined by the total points the team in the lead scored in the first three quarters combined — plus 24, the obvious nod to Bryant.

The 2020 NBA All-Star Game will take place at the United Center in Chicago on Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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