Kobe Bryant memorial: Thousands pay tribute as NBA star's widow hails 'perfect husband' and 'baby girl' Gianna

Ellena Cruse25 February 2020

Kobe Bryant's widow has paid tribute to her "perfect husband" and "baby girl" Gianna as thousands of mourners flocked to the Staple Center for a memorial service.

Around 20,000 people gathered in downtown Los Angeles to say farewell to the basketball legend and his 13-year-old daughter at a Celebration of Life ceremony on Monday.

Bryant and his daughter were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash on January 26 and widow Vanessa has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the flight operators accusing the pilot of being careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions.

The service took place at the Staples Center, the arena where Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 17 seasons of his two-decade NBA career.

Kobe and Gianna Bryant memorial at the Staples Center

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Bryant's tearful widow Vanessa thanked attendees for coming, saying she’s received an outpouring of love since the crash.

"He was the most amazing husband," she told the memorial service after receiving a standing ovation when she was introduced by Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

"Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words. I was fire. He was ice. Vice versa at times. ... He was my everything."

Vanessa Laine Bryant reacts during a public memorial
REUTERS

She fought back tears as she described Gianna as a sweet, thoughtful soul who loved always kissing her mother good morning and goodnight.

She said Gianna loved swimming, singing along with hit songs, baking cookies and watching “Survivor” and NBA games with her father.

Vanessa predicted that Gianna could have become “the best player in the WNBA", adding that the teenager loved basketball so much she even offered the boys' school team advice.

Kobe Bryant and Gianna
Getty Images

Speaking about her husband, who she had been with since 1999, she said the world saw Kobe as a celebrity and basketball legend — the Black Mamba — but to her he was her best friend and protector.

Vanessa described him as a loving husband and devoted father with a tender heart who was “the MVP of girl dads.”

She said she and Kobe planned to renew their vows and travel the world together.

Former basketball player Michael Jordan helps Vanessa Laine Bryant
REUTERS

NBA hall of fame star Michael Jordan paid tribute to Kobe and called him a brother.

"Kobe left nothing in the tank," he said.

"He left it all on the floor. Kobe was my dear friend. He was like a little brother."

He added: "When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died. Those are the memories that we have to live with and learn from. I promise you from this day forward I live with the memories of knowing I had a little brother...Rest in peace little brother."

Former basketball player Michael Jordan speaks during a public memorial
REUTERS

Beyonce opened the service performing her songs “XO” - one of Kobe's favourite songs - and “Halo” with dozens of backup musicians.

She was also pictured comforting Vanessa by placing a hand on her shoulder.

Fans fortunate enough to get tickets to the service filled the arena, where a stage surrounded by thousands of red roses has replaced the basketball court.

Among the early arriving fans was Alyssa Shapiro, 27, of Huntington Beach, who said she was inspired to become a basketball player after watching countless Lakers games with her father.

The family’s love of the game — and Bryant’s work in women’s sports — prompted her to become a middle school girls’ basketball coach.

Her team had played Gianna’s team and she would watch Bryant cheer for his daughter in the stands.

Holding homemade heart-shaped “Kobe” and “Gigi” signs, she said she went up to Bryant to introduce herself at a game.

“I just wanted to thank him for being such an inspiration to me,” she said.

“I grew up watching him on the screen. ... It made me realize he’s more than just that guy out on the court.”

People attend a public memorial for NBA great Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others killed in a helicopter crash
REUTERS

The concourse was a sea of people dressed in the team colours of purple and yellow and others in black.

On the scoreboard, the Bryant family’s life flashes by in pictures: Bryant with his wife, Vanessa, Bryant and Gianna, the whole family in costumes, Gianna on the court, baby pictures of Gianna and her father.

The service began just hours after Vanessa Bryant sued the owner of the helicopter that crashed in the fog last month. The wrongful-death lawsuit claimed that the pilot, Ara Zobayan, was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions.

At the arena, fans were given a program containing photos, a purple KB pin and a T-shirt with photos of the father and daughter. The concourse was a sea of purple, gold and black clothing.

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