Taylor Swift has had multiple exposures to the sports world during her ongoing Eras tour, but none have been more moving than what she did at the first of six sold-out concerts at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Thursday night.
Swift honored her bond with the late Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant by presenting his daughter Bianka with the hat the pop star wears for her performance of the hit song “22.” Swift took a moment to put his hat on Bianka mid-song as the LA audience, who seemed to know who the kid at the front of the stage was and their relationship to one of their city’s biggest sports icons, roared in agreement.
Swift also pointed to Kobe’s widow and Bianka’s mother, Vanessa Bryant, before she began singing again.
The Bryant family has known the pop superstar for years and Kobe Bryant, who won five NBA titles in his 20 years with the Lakers, Swift once presented her own “championship” banner at the then Staples Center in 2015 – a tribute to Swift’s status as the artist with the most sold-out shows at the venue.
This coming January marks four years since Kobe Bryant and his then 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash in the Los Angeles area.
Los Angeles Lakers
national basketball federation
Get more from the National Basketball Association Follow your favorites for updates on games, news and more
