The City of Los Angeles will pay tribute to Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant during a public memorial Feb. 24. The event — which will be held at the Staples Center — will be for all the victims killed in a helicopter crash in January, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The date of the memorial has meaning to both Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who was also a victim of the crash. Gianna Bryant wore No. 2 at Harbor Day School. Kobe Bryant wore No. 24 during the second half of his career. Together, that gives Feb. 24 — or 2/24 — an additional meaning.
The basketball legend’s widow shared details of the memorial in a post on Instagram, calling the event a “celebration of life.” The service will begin at 10 a.m. local time, according to her post, which said more details were forthcoming. No information about tickets has been shared.
Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant and seven others were killed in the crash, which occurred Jan. 26. In the days following the crash, NBA teams, players and fans have come together to mourn Bryant’s death. Teams took symbolic penalties’ in honor of Bryant, players changed their numbers and fans gathered outside Staples Center to build a makeshift memorial.
The fan-made memorial has been taken down now. All the items fans left at Staples Center have been donated to Vanessa Bryant at her request.
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