Remembering Kobe Bryant: Four Years Later
The Garnette Report is remembering Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others who tragically passed away in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
On This Day: Remembering Kobe Bryant
On January 26, 2020, Bryant and the passengers were heading to Mamba Sports Academy to watch Gianna, his daughter, play at a basketball game by flying in a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter. However, due to the pilot’s miscalculated decisions, the aircraft crashed into a hillside, killing everyone on board.
But, Kobe and his daughter’s legacy still lives on four years later.
A Year Later: Remembrance
Later on, sports associations began remembering Kobe Bryant by paying tribute. The Staples Center had a memorial with Bryant’s iconic 24 and 8 number jerseys and other memorabilia around the arena.
Athletes spoke out in speeches and moments of silence during games. For example, LeBron James spoke out before a game at the Staples Center on February 1, 2020. “This is a celebration of the blood, sweat, tears, the countless hours, the determination to be as great as he could be,” he said. Another example, at the 54th Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs had a moment of silence in Miami.
On February 24, 2020, Kobe Bryant’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, gave a speech at the public memorial service to commemorate her daughter and husband. The powerful speech and montage video of Kobe and his daughter caused a standing ovation. Watch Vanessa Bryant’s speech here.
Then, along with speeches and memorial services, The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted Kobe Bryant the same year. The induction honored Bryant’s 20-season run with the Lakers and his over 30,000-point National Basketball Association (NBA) career.
Remembering the Bryants
Since 2020, over 900 murals have depicted the late father and daughter worldwide, most notably in Southern California. Kobe Mural, a website, tracks the number of murals of the star around the world. The website gives mural artists a platform to showcase their work of the late basketball star. In Europe, artist Deni Božić and a few others painted a 19-foot-wide mural of Kobe Bryant holding a basketball. According to Yahoo Sports, it is one of the largest murals of Bryant in Europe.
In 2022, the Disney+ television show The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder paid tribute to Gianna Bryant. in the episode called “It All Started with an Orange Basketball”. Penny Proud wore a Mamba Sports Academy jersey with the number two. That jersey was Gianna’s before she passed away.
Since 2023, Nike has announced relaunching the Kobe brand by releasing new shoes to honor the basketball legend. Soon, they are releasing fifteen brand new shoes starting in February to dedicated Bryant fans who have waited patiently for the launch.
Earlier today, Vanessa Bryant announced that there will be an unveiling of a statute of her husband on February 8, 2024. According to Newsweek, the month, February, will represent Gianna’s jersey number two. The date and year, 8 and 24, will correlate with Kobe Bryant’s jersey numbers. Soon, the sculpture will be in front of the Crypto.com Arena, the home of the Lakers.
In summary, Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and the seven passengers will not be forgotten as the world celebrate their lives on this day annually. Watch the full memorial service here.
Featured Image from Pixabay