Lakers Announce First Details of Feb. 24 Memorial for Gianna and Kobe Bryant
The Los Angeles Lakers have revealed the first details of the public memorial for NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other victims of the fatal helicopter crash last month.
Limited tickets to the memorial — scheduled for 10 a.m. on Feb. 24 at Staples Center, the Downtown Los Angeles arena that Bryant played in for 16 years — will be made available for the general public. Organizers will first accommodate a large number of invited guests made up of family members, friends, celebrities and current and formers stars from the NBA.
Fans can register to purchase tickets at Ticketmaster starting today at 11: 00 a.m. PST through Monday at 10:00 p.m. PST time. Tickets are priced at $224 and $24.02 and officially go on sale on Feb. 19 at 11:00 a.m. PST. Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable.
Proceeds from the memorial will benefit the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.
The date (2/24/20) holds special significance for the Bryant family: Gianna wore jersey No. 2 at the Mamba Sports Academy, and Bryant wore No. 24 in the latter half of his career. The “20” also represents the number of years Byrant and Vanessa were together.
The L.A. Clippers have a game scheduled against the Memphis Grizzlies later that night in the arena. Staples Center has also served as the location for memorials to Michael Jackson in 2009 and Nipsey Hussle in 2019.
The event will also honor victims John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Christina Mauser, and pilot Ara Zobayan.
City officials are encouraging fans to watch the memorial live on television from home. There are no plans for a procession or other events outside of Staples Center.
Vanessa Bryant first announced a date for the public memorial on her Instagram page.
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti confirmed plans for the event last month.
“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 said, according to KTLA. “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.”
Staples Center has already served as the most prominent meeting place for fans to mourn. Shortly after the accident, thousands of fans gathered outside of the arena to leave flowers, notes, basketballs and jerseys in memory of Bryant, who won five championships with the Lakers.
Vanessa released her first public statement following the deaths of her husband and daughter on Jan. 29.
Speaking to fans and followers about the loss of her “adoring” husband and their “beautiful, sweet” daughter Gianna, the mother of four wrote, “We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately. There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now.”
Vanessa continued: “I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way.”
“Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable,” she added, in part. “I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever.”
Byrant and Gianna are survived by Vanessa, 37, as well as Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and 7-month-old Capri.
If you would like to help the families of the victims of the crash, consider donating to the Mamba on Three Fund. Contributions to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation will help support youth sports.
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