The Los Angeles Dodgers paid homage to the late, Kobe Bryant on Friday night. With the Toronto Blue Jays visiting Dodger Stadium to take on the Dodgers, they were on hand for a special occasion. The Dodgers chose August 8 to honor Bryant since he wore the No. 8 on his jersey for the first 10 years of his NBA career.
Dodgers Gift Fans Special Giveaway on Kobe Bryant Tribute Night originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Los Angeles Dodgers paid homage to the late, Kobe Bryant on Friday night. With the Toronto Blue Jays visiting Dodger Stadium to take on the Dodgers, they were on hand for a special occasion.
The Dodgers chose August 8 to honor Bryant since he wore the No. 8 on his jersey for the first 10 years of his NBA career. With Bryant's family in attendance, the tribute felt well orchestrated by the Dodgers organization.
Bryant's widow, Vanessa Bryant was joined by her daughters Natalia (22), Bianka (8), and Capri (6) who were all introduced to an ovation by the 53,825 fans inside Dodger Stadium. Bianka then threw out the ceremonial first pitch, again to an ovation.
Kobe Bryant Giveaway Is a Unique Gift
And the first 40,000 fans in the building on Friday night, were given a very special gift. These lucky fans were given a Kobe Bryant bobblehead.
The Dodgers are giving away a Kobe Bryant bobblehead tonight 🏀 pic.twitter.com/Cy5VklSsoz
— MLB (@MLB) August 9, 2025
The bobblehead is a representation of Bryant in a Los Angeles Lakers jersey (ironically No. 24) holding a baseball bat. It appears the image of Bryant's bobblehead is based off an image from Lakers Media Day back in 2009 when Bryant filmed a PSA for the Dodgers.
For those that don't know, the Kobe Bryant bobblehead giveaway tonight is based off this 2009 Lakers Media Day image in which Bryant filmed a PSA for the Dodgers. However, they changed his shoes in the current bobblehead to the Kobe 6 Proto Dodgers that were released on May 30,… pic.twitter.com/QGt1k6XkeL
— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) August 9, 2025
The Dodgers continue to honor and celebrate the life of Bryant, who perished in a helicopter cash in January of 2020 along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
During a 2023 Lakers Night, fans received a black snakeskin Dodgers jersey, in reference to Kobe's famed nickname, "Black Mamba." The jersey included Bryant's No. 8 on the front and No. 24 on the back.
Friday night's game also highlighted a pitching matchup between two of MLB's all-time greats. Clayton Kershaw, 37, took the hill to face off against Max Scherzer, 41, both of which are assuredly future Hall of Famers.
The Dodgers would beat the Blue Jays 5-1 with Kershaw turning back the clock in this one. In six innings pitched, he gave up just one run on seven hits while striking out four batters.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
