Staples Center and the surrounding area was littered with purple and gold and tributes to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna on Monday. We’ve seen dozens of murals in Los Angeles since Kobe, Gianna and seven others died in a tragic helicopter crash last month, and some of those murals are even on cars.
Prior to Monday’s memorial, exotic cars featuring custom Kobe and Gianna paint jobs were spotted outside Staples Center.
Spotted outside of Staples Center: pic.twitter.com/8TCmCr8sqf
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) February 24, 2020
Monday’s memorial service is expected to be one of the most emotional days in Staples Center history. Thousands of people applied for tickets to the event, and there was even talk of moving it to the LA Coliseum to meet the demand. However, it is only fitting that the service is being held where Kobe dominated on the court and became a global icon.
The Lakers hosted the Celtics at Staples Center on Sunday, and we saw an awesome tribute from Boston legend Bill Russell. There will be countless more during Monday’s ceremony.
Also from the Kobe and Gianna Memorial:
Michael Jordan cracks hilarious ‘Crying Jordan’ meme joke
Video: Shaq drops F-bomb on live TV during Kobe Bryant memorial
Video: Watch Vanessa Bryant’s full speech about Gianna and Kobe at memorial
Vanessa Bryant says daughter Gianna would have become best player in WNBA
Diana Taurasi takes funny shot at LeBron during Kobe Bryant memorial
Geno Auriemma zings Kobe Bryant about being ‘uncoachable,’ not passing
