The NBA had a full slate of games Friday night with several teams vying against each other like any other night, but it proved to be completely different.
Sadly, the day ended up leaving a lot of players distracted with several players having roots traced to France concerned and worried about their loved ones in the aftermath of the unfortunate Paris attacks.
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A suicide bombing incident rocked the State de France Stadium, the worst attack over there since World War II. The death toll rose to at least 127 casualties, according to the New York Times, while scores more were injured, forcing France president Francois Hollande to declare a state of emergency.
The NBA has a lot of players who are from France, though the concern and prayers offered radiated as far as the NBA stars who were simply dumbfounded and expressed disbelief toward the people behind the senseless bombings.
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"Our world right now is having so many different tragedies," LeBron James told ESPN. "So many different innocent people and victims are losing lives over nonsense."
Pelicans center Alexis Ajinca had a hard time focusing on his game, worrying about his family while his club played the Raptors. He went as far as writing #Pray For Paris on his sneakers before the game. Ajinca got confirmation that his family was safe after the contest.
"It's just a crazy world," Ajinca told ESPN. "You think you're safe, you're just walking down the street and the next thing you know, people start shooting."
Nicolas Batum of the Hornets had a hard time understanding why people would resort to such measures, taking lives for nothing.
"I thought about it all game," Batum told the affiliate. "I wanted to [have] a good game to show them in my way 'We're strong.'"
The Hornets were up against the Bulls, who also had someone there with ties in France, Joakim Noah.
"[It's] very sad what's going on in Paris," Noah said per ESPN. "A lot of people died for no reason. We're not really sure exactly what happened. So just calling family before the game, making sure they're all right."
The number of casualties is expected to rise though much of the perpetrators have either been shot down or dead due to self-imploded bombs. Local authorities are still trying to hunt down accomplices as President Hollande vows to track down and show no mercy to the ones behind these dastardly attacks.
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