NBA: LeBron James Reveals Why He Chose Gianna’s Jersey Number Over Kobe's [Video]

Los Angeles Lakers legend LeBron James has decided to don Gianna Bryant’s jersey number instead of her father Kobe's in NBA's All-Star game.

The match has been planned as another tribute to Kobe and Gianna, who were killed in a helicopter crash last month in California. The fatal incident saw a group of nine lose their lives when they were en route to a basketball match in Thousands Oak, in which Gianna was expected to play and Kobe was expected to coach the team.

The tribute match will be played between Team Giannis and Team LeBron and is scheduled to be played on Feb. 17. Giannis will don jersey No. 24 to pay their respect to Lakers’ legend Kobe, whereas LeBron's team will wear jersey No. 2 to honor Gianna.

LeBron was reportedly given a choice between the two jersey numbers before he picked Gianna’s.

When LeBron was asked why he opted to have his team wear Gianna's jersey, he replied “Zhuri.” Just like Kobe was a "girl dad", LeBron is also a family man and very close to his only daughter named Zhuri.

LeBron and Kobe were very close on and off the field. The former was in tears when he got to know about Kobe’s death. He gave an emotional speech during Lakers’ match against Clippers that was postponed due to the tragic event. He also got a tattoo done as a tribute for his close friend.

Kobe was always vocal about his daughters saying how delighted he was to raise them. He called himself “girl dad.”

Kobe, one of the greatest players to have played in the NBA, represented Lakers throughout his career that spanned across two decades. Kobe was a gifted player as he jumped into the NBA soon after he had completed his high school.

The five-time NBA champion, who called it quits in 2016, achieved many laurels including the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player award and two-time NBA Finals MVP. He was also a two-time Olympic champion and was named the NBA scoring champion as many times.

LeBron recently surpassed Kobe in the list of All-Time points scorers in NBA history. He currently stands third.