Author Deletes Draft of Bryant's Next Kids' Book

The mourning for Kobe Bryant was truly global on Monday, the AP reports. Among the responses:

• The NBA said it was postponing the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night "out of respect for the Lakers organization." Bryant played for the Lakers for 20 seasons. The team issued a statement of gratitude "for the tremendous outpouring of support and condolences," adding, "This is a very difficult time for all of us." The game will be rescheduled later. (Story here.)
• Competitors in the Australian Open paid their respects on and off the court. Nick Kyrgios wore a No. 8 Lakers jersey before his match. After the match, he wore a No. 24 jersey to a press conference. For her doubles match, Coco Gauff wrote Bryant's numbers on her shoes, with the inscription "Mamba Mentality." The crowd, some of them in Bryant jerseys, were shown a video tribute before play. (Story here.)
• Paulo Coelho, the Brazilian author of The Alchemist, had been working on a children's book with Bryant for a few months. After Coelho heard about the crash Sunday, he deleted the draft. Fans went online to ask him not to, but Coelho said, "The children's book did not make sense anymore." The writer said, “Kobe was always very concerned about making a book that was a positive example for children, especially those coming from humble beginnings." Bryant had called The Alchemist his favorite book. (Story here.)
• Reiti, the Italian city where Bryant moved at age 6, remembered a boy with what the local basketball team's president called "a unique vivaciousness," adding, "you could already tell that he was going to be a great player." A newspaper headline Monday read, “The city is in mourning." The team plans to honor Bryant at its next home game and retire his jersey. It's a point of pride that "Kobe always said that he learned the fundamentals and tactics in Italy," Giuseppe Cattani said. "It's like we’ve lost our superhero." (Story here.)