Kobe Bryant was laid to rest, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant. A private funeral for the two took place last Friday in Corona Del Mar, California, two weeks after they died in a helicopter crash alongside seven others.
The legendary NBA star is survived by his wife, Vanessa Bryant, and the three other children they shared, Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months.
“Vanessa and the family wanted a private service to mourn their loss,” a source tells ET. “The ceremony was extremely hard for everyone as it’s still hard for them to grasp they lost two beautiful souls.”
A public memorial will be held for Kobe and Gianna at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday, February 24, where the athlete has played professional basketball with the Lakers for the entire 20-year career. “24” is a special date, as it’s the number Kobe sported on his journey since the 2006-07 season. It’s the same number he had in high school at Lower Merion. Vanessa confirmed the date and time of the upcoming public memorial via her Instagram. She shared that it will start at 10 a.m., posting artwork with purple and yellow butterflies.
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#2, #24, #20 years as a Laker and the amount of years Kob and I were together ❤️❤️💜💛
On Jan. 30, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti confirmed that a memorial was being planned in honor of the basketball icon, as well as the eight other victims of the crash.
“There will absolutely be a memorial to mark the contributions of this incredible man and not only him, but to commemorate the loss of his daughter and all the other families that were there,” Garcetti told the Los Angeles Times, referencing Gianna, along with Alyssa Altobelli, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, Christina Mauser, and Ara Zobayan.
“We don’t have that date finalized but we’ve been talking every day to the Lakers, and most importantly, to [Bryant’s widow, Vanessa] as well,” he continued. “I think one message that I would say is this is not just about a man who was a basketball player, this is about a father, this is about a leader, this is about a filmmaker, this is about an artist, this is about somebody who was so much more than just how he was on the court.”