Paul George Considering Wearing No. 24 for Kobe: 'He Was My Michael Jordan'

Paul George wore the No. 24 during his time with the Indiana Pacers as a tribute to Kobe Bryant. He eventually switched to No. 13, but in honor of Bryant, he's considered switching back to No. 24, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic:

"I actually reached out and see if I could bring 24 back, just because I always want to remember why I started playing this game. And that meant so much to me. You know, so, now I sit back and review it. I think every time should find a way to honor that. Let that jersey be a number that no one would be able to wear again. So we'll see." 

He also said Bryant was his favorite player growing up:

"He was my Michael Jordan. Growing up as a SoCal kid he was what everybody, every kid wanted to be here. I started playing basketball because of Kobe. I attacked the game the way he played both ends. I took so much things away from him, and he made a big impression on me as a kid, just about how to go about playing the game. I credit everything, aside from God-given talent, I credit everything else from him."

The NBA world continues to mourn Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday morning along with his daughter Gianna; Sarah and Payton Chester; John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli; Christina Mauser; and Ara Zobayan. Payton Chester and Alyssa Altobelli were also on Gianna's basketball team which Bryant coached.

Tributes have come in various forms. Teams have opened games by taking eight-second backcourt violations and 24-second shot-clock violations to start games, in honor of the two numbers Bryant donned during his playing days. Many players who wore those numbers have chosen to change them to unofficially retire the numbers.

The league also postponed the Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers matchup, originally scheduled for Tuesday. And the Staples Center has played host to a fan-made memorial for Bryant.

Kawhi Leonard told Buva he was still processing Bryant's death:

"It's sad every day. You know, you kind of feel like life isn't real once you start seeing these little monuments or the pictures that people are putting up with his face and the year he was born and the year he died. It doesn't seem real. It just seems like you're in a movie or something. And you know, you just want to wake up. So it's still surreal to me. It's not all come together yet."

For George, the sadness is accompanied by gratitude that he had the chance to develop a relationship with Bryant.

"It was little brother-big brother," George said. "I really got to know him I would say the last four years of my career. ... He helped me every step of the road. When I got injured he was one of the first phone calls that came in and he got me through that. It's hard, man. It's hard. I'm grateful and will forever cherish the relationship I did have with him."