NBA plunged into mourning as Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter crash

The NBA grappled with the sudden death of league great Kobe Bryant on Sunday, players saying they felt sick to their stomach taking to the court without having ample time to absorb the shocking news.

A haunting moment of silence preceded the Houston Rockets' game against the Nuggets in Denver, which tipped off just hours after the helicopter crash in suburban Los Angeles in which Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine who perished.

In San Antonio, where the Spurs hosted the reigning champion Toronto Raptors, both teams took 24-second shot-clock violations on their first possessions of the game in honor of Bryant -- who wore the number 24 in the later years of his career.

And in a move that other NBA teams are also expected to adopt, the Dallas Mavericks announced that they were retiring the number 24 jersey.

Several NBA stars said they were reluctant to step on the court after learning the news.

"I don't even know how we are supposed to play this game tonight," said Portland's Damian Lillard said before scoring 50 points in a 139-129 win over Indiana.

"It makes you sick to your stomach. It is disturbing.

"It is bigger than just our heroes and the people we look up to dying. It goes deeper than that."
"It is not going to go away soon. We will weep forever."
- 'We should honor him' -
=========================
"We are a team from Los Angeles so we know the LA history with him. It is just sad."
- 'Crazy day to play basketball' -
==================================
"He's only been to three games this year and two of them were ours. His daughter was a big fan of mine."