Los Angeles honors Kobe, Gianna Bryant with public memorial

Thousands of mourners will gar in Staples Center on Monday to say farewell to Kobe and Gianna Bryant. basketball superstar and his 13-year-old daughter will be hored in a public memorial at arena where Bryant played for Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe and Gianna Bryant died along with seven ors on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash.

Celebration of Life will feature speakers reflecting on Kobe Bryant’s impact on his sport and world, along with music and retrospectives on Bryant’s on-court achievements. Bryant became active in film, television and writing after he retired from basketball in 2016.

Bryant’s family, dozens of sports greats and many major figures in Bryant’s public life are expected to attend.

Staples Center is sold out for memorial. money made from ticket sales will be given to Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which supports youth sports programs in underserved communities and teaches sports to girls and women.

Bryant played his entire 20-year NBA career with Lakers, including final 17 seasons at Staples Center, which opened in 1999. five-time NBA champion’s two retired jersey numbers — 8 and 24 — hang high above arena where he became third-leading scorer in league history until Lakers star LeBron James passed him on night before Bryant’s death.

Bryant’s death caused an outpouring of grief across Los Angeles, where he remained city’s most popular athlete into retirement. Dozens of public memorials and murals have been installed around sprawling metropolis, and thousands of fans gared daily outside Staples Center to commiserate after crash.

Symbolic meanings will run throughout ceremony, which will be held on a 24-foot-by-24-foot st. Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s wife and Gianna’s mor, chose Feb. 24 as date in hor of uniform numbers of Kobe and Gianna, who wore . 2 on her youth basketball teams.

A private funeral was held for Kobe and Gianna Bryant in Orange County on Feb. 7.