There were a lot of tearful moments at the memorial service for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna on Monday, but UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma did his best to help keep things light.
Auriemma was one of several people who spoke at the remembrance. The 11-time national champion had a close relationship with Kobe, who made a huge impact in the women’s basketball community. During his speech, Auriemma joked about how he felt bad for Gianna when Geno learned that Kobe would be coaching Gianna’s team. Auriemma said he found it ironic when “the uncoachable one” reached out to him for advice about coaching. The UConn coach then joked that he knew Gianna wasn’t listening to her father’s advice when he saw Gianna pass the ball to one of her teammates.
Geno Auriemma: "He said, 'I'm coaching my daughter's team.' I said, 'Oh, my god. That poor kid.' So when I watched highlights of her playing, on about the 3rd or 4th time she touched the ball, Gianna passed it when she was open. I thought, 'she's not listening to her father.'" pic.twitter.com/e4xuVwpMKa
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) February 24, 2020
One of Auriemma’s former players, Diana Taurasi, also tried to keep the mood a bit lighter by taking a funny shot at LeBron James.
Bryant was certainly known more for scoring than passing, and that is something he had no problem owning. It’s also a mentality that made him one of the greatest players of all time, so poking fun at him for being a ball hog is in many ways a compliment.
Also from the Kobe and Gianna Memorial:
Michael Jordan cracks hilarious ‘Crying Jordan’ meme joke
Video: Shaq drops F-bomb on live TV during Kobe Bryant memorial
Video: Watch Vanessa Bryant’s full speech about Gianna and Kobe at memorial
Vanessa Bryant says daughter Gianna would have become best player in WNBA
Diana Taurasi takes funny shot at LeBron during Kobe Bryant memorial
Geno Auriemma zings Kobe Bryant about being ‘uncoachable,’ not passing
