UConn women's basketball team pays tribute to Gianna Bryant with jersey, flowers

UConn paid tribute to Gianna Bryant. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The UConn women’s basketball team paid tribute to Gianna Bryant before Monday’s game against Team USA.

Prior to the contest, UConn laid out a jersey and flowers in honor of Bryant.

.@UConnWBB is honoring Gianna Bryant ahead of their game vs. Team USA tonight. pic.twitter.com/tzK0IVrfjm

— ESPN (@espn) January 27, 2020

Gianna Bryant, 13, and her father, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, were among the nine people killed in a helicopter crash Sunday.

While Gianna wasn’t old enough to attend the University of Connecticut yet, she already had ties to the school. Both Kobe and Gianna were big UConn fans. Kobe was friends with UConn coach Geno Auriemma. Kobe and Gianna also had attended UConn women’s basketball games together.

Gianna — who went by Gigi — reportedly wanted to play basketball at the school. Kobe once said Gianna was “hellbent” on going to UConn, according to the Hartford Courant.

The UConn women’s basketball team tweeted out a picture of Gianna’s jersey, saying Gianna is “forever a Husky.”

More from Yahoo Sports:

• Kobe Bryant leaves behind legacy of intensity, greatness, controversy

• The story behind why Len Dawson was smoking at halftime of SB I

• Florist's simple act of kindness sums up L.A.'s love of Kobe

• NBA teams use symbolic shot-clock move to commemorate Bryant