How Kobe Bryant tragedy has brought the Nets closer

Sometimes, it’s after a horrible loss that something is found in the grieving and healing process. Beefs are squashed. Families are hugged. Bonds and brotherhoods are strengthened.

In the aftermath of the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others Sunday, their families suffered a tragic loss. But after losing a member of its extended family, much of the NBA is going through that painful process.

The Nets — preparing to host to the Bulls on Friday — are no different, with Kyrie Irving having been exceptionally close with Bryant.

“It’s heartbreaking for all of us. But I’m not the only one dealing with something. The most beautiful thing is that it’s connecting all of us. And his seeds that he’s planted in all of us can continue to grow and his legacy is going to continue to live on forever,” Irving said Wednesday.

“For me, it’s a lot of grieving going on. I’m just paying my respects. I know in the next coming days it will be some more news and things that are going to be done to commemorate the lives lost.”

Like in a tribute to Bryant being added to the All-Star Game. Like a movement to change the NBA logo to his image, and the WNBA logo to Gianna’s. The NBA petition had over 2.9 million signatures on change.org as of Thursday afternoon.

Those might not be temporary, but they’re temporal. In many cases, the impact of the tragic helicopter crash might be emotional, prompting players to find their best selves.

Like Kendrick Perkins squashing his beef with Nets star Kevin Durant upon hearing of Bryant’s death. Or Spencer Dinwiddie — who’d already developed a friendship with Irving — reaching out to his teammate and consoling him with a hug after Wednesday’s emotional game.

“It’s a brotherhood. It’s a fraternity in the NBA as a whole, but it’s a brotherhood in this locker room,” said Dinwiddie, who is coming off a 28-point game against the Pistons.

“Any time of hardship tends to do that for a group, and the magnitude of the hardship tends to drive you that much closer together.”

It echoed coach Kenny Atkinson’s original message to his Nets when they initially heard the news about Bryant’s sudden passing. Though Atkinson has opted to keep the message in-house, it was essentially: Go home and embrace those close to you, and value your time with them.

“Kenny reiterated to us make sure you go home, spend time mentally recuperating, reach out to the people that you love. Those are the things that are important,” Joe Harris said.

The most literal example was probably Garrett Temple.

By chance, the Nets guard proposed to his girlfriend Sunday night, after the news broke and after Brooklyn had lost to the Knicks.

For the record, he’d already planned to propose that day. And she said yes.

“My brother was in town, so we got the ring and I came down running downstairs and got dressed quick,” Temple said. “I hadn’t looked at my phone before I left the house, so I got in the car with the engagement ring, then my brother told me. And honestly, if he’d have told me before, I wouldn’t have brought the ring because for two reasons:

“I probably wouldn’t have remembered it, and I wouldn’t have even thought to get it out, [thinking] today’s not the day. But on the other hand, it just shows you how fleeting life is, and I thought it was still the time to do it. A lot of people have told me it’s happiness at the end of a real tragic day. So I’m definitely glad I went through with it.”