Vanessa Bryant has confirmed that the memorial for Kobe Bryant and their 13-year-old, Gianna, who tragically died in a fatal helicopter crash on January 26, will be held on Feb. 24 at the Staples Center, at 10 AM.
Posting an artwork with purple and yellow butterflies – the colors of Kobe’s team, the Los Angeles Lakers – on Instagram, the announcement reads,” A celebration of life. Kobe & Gianna Bryant. 2. 24. 20. 10 a.m. at STAPLES Center. Details to come.”
2.24.20 – the numbers hold a special significance for the family. A player on the Mamba Academy basketball team, 2 was Gianna’s jersey number. 24 was Kobe’s jersey number when he played for the Lakers, before retiring in 2016. And Vanessa shared that also has a special meaning – “#20 years as a Laker and the amount of years Kob and I were together ❤️❤️💜💛”
The announcement came after Kobe and Gianna were laid to rest in a private funeral at the Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona Del Mar, California last Friday (February 7).
“Vanessa and the family wanted a private service to mourn their loss,” a source tells Entertainment Tonight. “The ceremony was extremely hard for everyone as it’s still hard for them to grasp they lost two beautiful souls.”
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.
