Kobe Bryant Memorial Slated for Feb. 24 at Staples Center

By AFRO Staff

NBA icon Kobe Bryant will be memorialized Jan. 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The public memorial, organized after discussions between the city, Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, the Lakers and the Staples Center, will also remember the eight other victims of the Jan. 26 Calabasas helicopter crash, including Bryan’t 13-year-old daughter Gianna, Christina Mauser, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester and Ara Zobayan.

In this Jan. 31, 2020, file photo, the jerseys of late Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, right, and his daughter Gianna are draped on the seats the two last sat on at Staples Center, prior to the Lakers’ NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Los Angeles. A person with knowledge of the details says a public memorial service for Bryant, his daughter and seven others killed in a helicopter crash is planned for Feb. 24 at Staples Center. The Los Angeles arena is where Bryant starred for the Lakers for most of his two-decade career. The date corresponds with the jersey numbers he and 13-year-old daughter Gianna wore, 24 for him and 2 for her. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo, File)

“This is not just about a man who was a basketball player, this is about a father, this is about a leader, this is about a filmmaker, this is about an artist, this is about somebody who was so much more than just how he was on the court,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti previously said of the planned memorial. 

“We are one city that believes in each other, believes in something bigger than ourselves, and we will absolutely do everything to make sure that this is done so that everybody can come to it as well.”

Information on the itinerary and ticketing information is not yet available, however, with limited seating in the Staples Center, entry is expected to be restricted, according to the Times.

Since Bryant’s death, makeshift memorials have popped up around the globe and tributes to the NBA icon have poured in throughout social media.

Well wishes have also gone out for families of the other victims, almost all of whom were affiliated with Bryant’s Mamba Academy. Vanessa Bryant on Jan. 29 announced the founding of the Mamba On Three foundation “to honor and support loved ones of the seven other victims.”