Sure it can. I’m not talking about putting a patch on players jerseys. I’m not talking about people mentioning him in post game interviews or continuing to have messages on their shoes written in sharpie. I’m talking about big video productions in pregame or halftime or anything during the games. The 24 second tributes. Sideline reporters only asking Kobe questions. That stuff should stop after All Star break. People still feeling some type of way or having Kobe in the background of everyone’s thoughts the rest of the season will of course continue. But they need to allow the game and the players get back to normal.
Something like a Mamba logo patch on all player jerseys for the rest of the season would make sense, a remembrance and tribute that doesn’t disrupt the games or take away from just playing basketball. Or you know what, have Nike create a Kobe “Mamba Forever” warm-up shirt with all the names of the people who died on the back of the shirt, have them in different team colors of all NBA teams, and then the players can wear them the rest of the season if they want. Something like that.
It’s there but it’s not so in the forefront that it continues to be about the tragedy and not about the games. The grief or thinking about it don’t have to go away. But the disruption to or distraction from the games should.