Gordon Hayward Refutes Tirico's Story: 'Kobe Would Have Lost Respect for Me'

Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward took to Twitter on Monday to refute a story Mike Tirico of NBC Sports told about him and Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in Kobe's final NBA game.

Tirico told Ryen Russillo of The Ringer that when Kobe was going for 60 points in the last game of his career against the Utah Jazz, Hayward intentionally stepped into the lane during a free-throw attempt to ensure Bryant would get another shot if he missed:

While the video does show Hayward stepping into the lane, Hayward insisted that it was done accidentally since Kobe would have lost respect for him had he intentionally done so:

Scoring 60 on the Jazz was a fairy-tale ending to one of the greatest careers in NBA history. Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, two-time scoring champion and one-time NBA MVP.

Bryant died Sunday at age 41 in a helicopter crash that left no survivors. His 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, was among the nine passengers on board.

In the wake of Bryant's death, many of the NBA's teams and players mourned and celebrated him during Sunday's games. That included teams starting their games with eight-second backcourt violations and 24-second shot clock violations to honor his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys.

Additionally, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul opted to sit out Monday's game against the Dallas Mavericks to mourn the death of Bryant, who was a close friend.

The scheduled game between the Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center in L.A. on Tuesday was postponed by the NBA in honor of Bryant as well.