Over 20,000 friends, family, and supporters gather in the Los Angeles Staples Center to remember Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna Bryant. The “Celebration of Life” began at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on Monday, February 24th.
In a caption on Instagram, Vanessa Bryant shares why today’s date was significant for the service to be held on today’s date. “#2, #24 #20 years as a Laker and the number of years Kobe and I were together,” the caption read. The number 2 is significant as it stands for the number Gianna wore throughout her basketball career, following in the footsteps of her father who wore the number 24 towards the end of his, 20-year career with the National Basketball Association.
The Staples Center was also used to honor and remember, Michael Jackson, and Nipsey Hussle. Reports say that 17,000 people gathered to remember the King of Pop.
Tickets for Bryant’s public funeral were sold ranging from 24.02 to $224. The proceeds from the tickets will be donated to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation in an act that most certainly speaks to Kobe’s commitment to serving other people.
If you’ve missed the memorial service, tune into CNN to catch it on replay.
If you could not attend, a way that you can support The Black Mamba and Mambacita is to donate to one of the three charities that Kobe funded, The Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, Make A Wish Foundation and The After-School All-Stars Non-Profit Organization.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Bryant family and the rest of the victims of this unfortunate tragedy.
