When Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a tragic helicopter crash in January 2020, the entire basketball world grieved, and so did the world at large. A number of tributes across the nation and the world honored the late Los Angeles Lakers legend immediately after the news broke.
In the Southland, local artist Sloe Motions created a mural of both the elder and younger Bryant that became very popular in the area. The mural is on the wall of the Hardcore Fitness gym located on Pico Boulevard about half a mile away from Crypto.com Arena.
The landlord of the building recently threatened to have the mural removed in order to use the wall for advertising. Vanessa Bryant, the elder Bryant’s widow, created a petition to preserve the mural.
Luckily, the mural will be re-dedicated this week and will remain in place thanks to a pledge from NBA 2K (h/t Lakers Daily).
Ronnie Singh, aka “Ronnie 2K,” announced on NBA Today on Monday that the popular mural of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, located at 400 W. Pico Blvd in downtown Los Angeles will be re-dedicated this week and stay up thanks to a pledge by NBA 2K. pic.twitter.com/h44anmvPkE
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 23, 2023
It is about the millionth example of how Kobe Bryant’s memory and legacy will live on forever, as will the impact he had on Los Angeles, Southern California and the world.