Tiger Woods shot a two-under 69 in the first round of the Genesis Open on Thursday.
Woods sank a 24-foot, 8-inch putt to eagle the first hole of his round. "It was a nice way to start," said Woods, noting that the numbers matched the two numbers that Kobe Bryant had worn during his NBA career.
Then at the eighth hole, which had a purple-and-gold flag to honor Bryant, Woods gave a subtle flick of the wrist after sinking his putt.
Then at No. 8, where the course was flying a purple-and-gold flag as a tribute to Bryant, Woods celebrated his birdie with a flourished flick of the wrist while passing his ball back to his caddie. It was a move that many sports fans have made while shooting a balled-up piece of paper at a trash bin while shouting out "Kobe!"
After his round, Woods was touched when he learned of the exact distance of his opening eagle putt.
"It's ironic, isn't it? It was a nice way to start," said Woods, per ESPN. "I didn't know about the putt being that long. As I said, ironic that having those two numbers. And then No. 8, happened to hit one in there close and had a nice little kick in there for birdie.
"No matter what we do, I think for a while we're going to always remember Kobe and what he meant, and especially here in SoCal and the entire sports world. Like I said, very ironic that I happened to have those numbers on those holes and those exact measurements."
Woods entered the second round of the tournament tied for 17th, with Matt Kuchar leading after the first round with a seven-under day. With one more win, Woods would break his current tie with Sam Snead for most PGA Tour wins in history.
Kobe Bryant's death may have been unlike any celebrity death to date because of the massive reaction and the messy aftermath of discussing his legacy.
The reporting on Bryant's death was shocking in nature and showed the danger of real-time reporting, as several erroneous reports muddled the situation.
Bryant's death also raised questions of how to grieve and honor a public icon who had also been accused of sexual assault.
This is the story of what happened on that tragic Sunday and the shockwaves it sent around the world.
At 11:32 A.M. PT, on January 26, a seemingly innocuous winter Sunday, a report from TMZ sent shockwaves through the universe.
"Breaking: Kobe Bryant Has Died in a Helicopter Crash,"the tweet read. The report claimed Bryant was one of five people dead in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
Experiencing breaking events in real-time is a relatively new phenomenon. On that day, it was as if the entire world was following the same Twitter timeline, waiting for more information. Perhaps TMZ was wrong? Maybe there had been some mistake? Surely, Bryant, a borderline mythological athlete still very much in the public eye, could not be gone so suddenly.
What felt like hours was less than 20 minutes. Local reports came in, confirming a helicopter crash. Stomachs tightened. Perhaps in a cruel irony, the worst was confirmed by top NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, at 11:51 P.M. PT. "Kobe Bryant is among those dead in a helicopter crash outside Los Angeles, a source confirms to ESPN."
Over the next hour, the developments continued. The crash had killed nine people, including Bryant. His 13-year-old daughter Gianna, aka "Gigi," was with him. The tragedy included members of Gigi's basketball team, parents, coaches, and the plane's pilot. They were on their way to a basketball game at Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy.
The grieving, tributes, and discourse that followed over the coming days and weeks may be unlike any other celebrity death to date.
Kobe Bryant's second life expanded beyond basketball
For many athletes, the end of their careers feels like the end of their lives. But Kobe Bryant was different. He told The New Yorker's Ben McGrath in 2014 that he cringed at the suggestion that he would retreat to a golf course and live life slowly upon retirement.
"I get questions all the time: 'What are you going to do when you retire?' As if I had no life, no talent outside of playing basketball," Bryant said. "It absolutely drives me crazy. 'You just going to golf all day?' I'm, like, 'No. Who the f--- said that?' It's maddening."
Bryant's next passion was "storytelling." Following his retirement, Bryant dove head-first into the creative world, forming Granity Studios, a multimedia company that creates children's books, podcasts, TV series, and films, many of which focused on youth sports to teach life lessons.
"Having four daughters at home, it was like I need to create content for my children," Bryant told Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim in 2019. "Because I didn't see that, I didn't see content for kids that enjoy playing sports. So I wanted to take something that had a fantasy appeal to it and connect that to sports. Magic and pathology and some of the inherent magic that is within the sport itself. How do you take that and put it into a story that kids would enjoy?"
Bryant won an Oscar in 2018, just two years after retiring, for Best Animated Short for "Dear Basketball," based on the poem he wrote about retiring.
"As basketball players, we're supposed to shut up and dribble,"Bryant said during his acceptance speech, alluding to infamous comments made by Fox's Laura Ingraham. "I'm glad we do a little bit more than that."
Bryant's post-retirement connection to basketball was atypical. He didn't pursue the traditional, sit-behind-the-desk, analyst role. Instead, he had an ESPN+ series called "Detail," in which he broke down film. In his mind, however, it was more "storytelling."
"If that was my passion, to be able to sit at a studio desk, do that day in, day out, I would certainly do it. That's not my passion," Bryant said on an ESPN conference call to promote "Detail" in 2018. "My passion is writing, creating, putting beautiful stories together, weaving them in the form of a narrative."
Bryant, by all accounts, had seemed to move past basketball — or at least the rolling boil inside of him had become a simmer.
"I don't have a hard time watching it at all," Bryant said on the same conference call, of having an itch to play. "I have this other thing that is calling me that I enjoy doing ... I've really been able to move on from the game."
"Girl Dad"
In retirement, Bryant was also focused on life with his daughters— Natalia, Gigi, Bianka, and Capri, born in June 2019.
After his death, ESPN's Elle Duncan relayed a story about giving birth to a girl and speaking to Kobe Bryant about it. Bryant reportedly boasted he was a "girl dad," saying, "Just be grateful that you've been given that gift because girls are amazing ... I would have five more girls if I could." The hashtag #girldad went viral after Duncan's story, with fathers posting pictures of their daughters.
"I love having girls. I love it,"Bryant told Jimmy Kimmel in September 2019. "They're awesome, man. I think my wife wants a boy more so than I do."
Bryant seemed especially close to Gigi, who may have been his strongest connection to basketball in retirement.
Gigi aspired to play in the WNBA. Bryant told McGrath in 2014 that Gigi was "insanely, insanely competitive — like, mean." He compared her to himself.
A post shared by Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) on Sep 17, 2017 at 11:20pm PDT on
He coached Gigi's AAU team — aptly named "The Mambas"— and told Kimmel in 2018 that Gigi sought to carry on his athletic legacy.
"The best thing that happens is when we go out, and fans will come up to me, and she'll be standing next to me. They'll be like, 'You gotta have a boy. You and [Vanessa] gotta have a boy, y'all gotta have someone to carry on the tradition, the legacy,'" Bryant said. "And [Gigi's] like, 'Hey, I got this. You don't need no boy for that.'"
In late December, the two were sitting courtside for a game between the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks. Cameras caught Bryant appearing to be teaching Gigi the game.
Though Bryant may have disconnected from basketball in retirement, he was forever linked to the sport. He was an icon to a generation of athletes and a pillar in the sports world, thanks to 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, 18 All-Star Games, five championships, and an MVP award.
Bryant had been in the news the weekend of the crash. The night before, LeBron James had passed him for third all-time in scoring. Bryant, who had told reporters during the week that he was happy for James to move ahead of him — a "records-are-made-to-be-broken" sentiment — tweeted his congratulations that night.
Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother 💪🏾 #33644
Separated as he had become from the game, the game did not easily let go of Bryant. News of his death rocked the NBA world. The reactions were like dominoes, falling one after another.
There was ESPN's Stephen A. Smith and Jay Williams, crying through live TV hits shortly after the news was announced.
There was the elusive Michael Jordan releasing a statement: "Words cannot describe the pain I'm feeling. I loved Kobe — he was like a little brother to me."
There was footage of James crying on a tarmac. It was later reported that James and Bryant had spoken on the phone early on Sunday after James had passed him in scoring.
There was Shaquille O'Neal choked up, saying, "My spirit just left my body," lamenting not speaking to Bryant more often.
Players paid tribute across the league. Some wrote messages on their shoes. The Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young began the game wearing a No. 8 jersey in honor of Bryant. Teams held moments of silence before games and started games with eight-second back-court violations and 24-second shot-clock violations, tributes to Bryant's jersey numbers. Madison Square Garden changed its colors to yellow and purple.
Meanwhile, Staples Center in Los Angeles became an unofficial funeral home. Fans gathered outside the Lakers' home arena, joining together in chants of "M-V-P," writing messages in chalk around the plaza, leaving flowers, thousands of basketballs, and more.
"He was LA's god basically," a Lakers fan named Brooklyn Butler told Insider's Lauren Frias.
In perhaps the most appropriate tribute, some fans left a garbage can outside of the arena, with the message, "You know what to do." Fans shot paper into the garbage can, yelling, "Kobe!"
How to report on death and grieve a public icon
Nothing about Bryant's death, the crash, or the aftermath was neat.
The unfolding of the details showed the dangers of real-time reporting, in front of an audience of millions.TMZ's breaking of the story drew scrutiny from LA Police. TMZ had reportedly broken the story before Bryant's family, or other families had been informed of the crash.
During a press conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said it was "wholly inappropriate" for the families to learn the news before being contacted by police.
"It would be extremely disrespectful to understand that your loved ones perished, and you learned about it from TMZ," Villanueva said. "That is just wholly inappropriate."
ABC suspended reporter Matt Gutman for erroneously report that all four of Bryant's children were on the helicopter.
"Reporting the facts accurately is the cornerstone of our journalism," a representative for ABC News told Insider. "As he acknowledged on Sunday, Matt Gutman's initial reporting was not accurate and failed to meet our editorial standards."
Another incorrect report said that Rick Fox, a former NBA player and teammate of Bryant's, was also on the helicopter. Fox later said that he was unaware of the report and was ignoring calls and texts from loved ones, sending them into a panic. He eventually answered, revealing he wasn't in the crash, but the event was traumatic nonetheless.
The Washington Post suspended journalist Felicia Sonmez after she tweeted a Daily Beast article about Bryant's rape allegations from 2003, drawing ire from people on Twitter. The Post called her tweets "ill-timed."
The biggest uproar, however, may have centered on Gayle King of CBS. A week after the crash, King interviewed WNBA legend Lisa Leslie about Bryant's death and his legacy. King asked Leslie if it was "complicated" to be friends with Bryant because of the rape allegations that were settled out of court, and whether they should be part of Bryant's legacy.
King became the target of extreme ire, with notable celebrities like rappers 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg taking to social media to criticize her. Some thought Snoop Dogg insinuated violence against King by saying, "Respect the family and back off, b---h, before we come get you."
King received hateful messages and death threats and traveled with security. Numerous powerful figures came to her defense, including CBS News President Susan Zirinsky, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, and former United Nations Ambassador and national security adviser Susan Rice. Snoop Dogg later apologized for his comments in an Instagram post.
The court case became a national story and played out in a messy fashion. The woman's name was leaked during the trial, despite attempts by police to preserve her anonymity. She was subject to death threats and eventually dropped the case when she no longer wanted to testify in court. The case was settled out of court in 2005 and Bryant later issued a statement on the matter.
"Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did," Bryant said at the time. "After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter."
Bryant lost all of his sponsors except Nike, and his popularity waned. However, he continued playing basketball.
After the settling of the case, Bryant created his "Black Mamba" persona, inspired by the film "Kill Bill," as a means to shed his skin.
During his life, there was largely a lack of public reckoning with the allegations against Bryant. In death, nearly every write-up of Bryant's legacy included the word "complicated."
The actress Evan Rachel Wood tweeted the day after Bryant's death: "He was a sports hero. He was also a rapist. And all of these truths can exist simultaneously." She came under fire on Twitter and eventually deleted the tweet.
While Bryant became an advocate for the WNBA and women's sports, cynics believed it was all part of an attempt to scrub his past — the story-teller re-writing his own story.
ESPN's Sarah Spain wrote on the effect of the allegations on Bryant's legacy and how Bryant will now never able to address the matter:
"Imagine the role he could have played in redefining how fans, the media, and the public, in general, handle sexual assault accusations if he had chosen to speak out about the case later in his life ... We're left to grapple with the complicated legacy he leaves behind. To argue with one another about the fairness of an honest retrospective. To decide for ourselves whether to remember the man he was or just the man we wanted him to be."
At Vice, Albert Burneko wrote a story titled, "Kobe Bryant Was No More Complicated Than Anyone Else," arguing that the word "complicated" is a step-around of the assault case.
"What the fact of having committed, or having credibly been accused of committing, sexual assault complicates for an acclaimed celebrity is the feelings ... of those who'd like to go right on celebrating him," Burneko wrote.
He continued:
"[Bryant] was also a great and spectacular basketball player, one of the biggest stars in the history of the sport, and a powerful man who, in 2003 and at the height of his celebrity, was credibly accused of raping a 19-year-old hotel employee and then avoided a trial by leaking his accuser's identity and shaming her into silence. I don't think these things complicate each other, unless you happen to believe there's a personal moral component to being good at making contested jump-shots."
"You have to understand the fact that we're human," he said. "We all say s--- that we shouldn't say, we all do things we shouldn't do. We all are angels, we are all devils.
"How are you going to understand that, other than to understand the fact that we're all of those things?"
An incomplete life
Bryant, Gigi, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Peyton Chester, Christina Mauser, and the pilot, Ara Zobayan, left Santa Ana-John Wayne Airport for Camarillo Airport in Bryant's helicopter shortly after 9 A.M. on January 26.
The foggy conditions in the Los Angeles area were so bad that day that the Los Angeles Police Department had grounded its helicopters. Kurt Deetz, a helicopter pilot who had flown Bryant before, told The Wall Street Journal's Ben Cohen and Erin Ailworth that only an experienced pilot would have been allowed to fly in such conditions.
About 10 minutes into the flight, air-traffic controllers ordered the helicopter to hold because another one was landing nearby. The aircraft circled over Glendale for about 12 minutes before getting "special visual flight rules" clearance to continue in the foggy conditions.
Around 9:40 A.M., the helicopter changed its path for Thousand Oaks. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the helicopter climbed to about 2,300 feet to avoid a cloud layer. It then started a descending left turn.
At around 9:45, the helicopter crashed into a hill at about 1,700 feet. It was flying about 170 miles per hour and would have weighed over 11,000 pounds. The NTSB said the helicopter missed clearing a hilltop by about 20-30 feet.
The helicopter didn't have a "black box," a device that records flight data and cockpit audio, though investigators did find an iPad used by Zobayan. The helicopter was also missing technology that would have alerted Zobayan to the hill.
Bryant's adoption of helicopters as a means of transportation, in some ways, encapsulated all that he was. It was flashy, it was convenient, it allowed him to maximize his time. According to Babb, Bryant's helicopter, nicknamed the "Mamba Chopper," had even been painted black, with scales to look like a snake.
"I had to figure out a way where I could still train and focus on the craft but still not compromise family time," Bryant told Barstool Sports in 2018.
According to a report from People magazine, Bryant and Vanessa had a pact not to ride in the helicopter together.
In an Instagram post on January 29, Vanessa wrote, "There aren't enough words to describe our pain right now.
"I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon."
A post shared by Vanessa Bryant 🦋 (@vanessabryant) on Jan 29, 2020 at 4:59pm PST on
Bryant was 41. On the possibilities of life after retirement, Bryant told McGrath in 2014: "Giorgio Armani didn't start Armani until he was forty. Forty! There's such a life ahead."
An official memorial for Bryant is planned for February 24 at Staples Center.
Kobe Bryant is one of eight finalists for the 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame this year, along with Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.
Even before his death, Bryant was in his first year of eligibility for the recognition, which players can be eligible for starting in their fourth season of retirement.
The Hall of Fame announced four committees would not put forth nominees due to the "unique circumstances" of the potential 2020 class.
Kobe Bryant is one of eight nominees for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year.
The full list of nominees includes Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Kim Mulkey, Rudy Tomjanovich, Barbara Stevens, Eddie Sutton, and Tamika Catchings.
Bryant, the fourth-highest scorer in NBA history, was eligible for the recognition even before his tragic death on January 26. CNN reports that Bryant was included on the preliminary ballot of 50 names back in December. A player becomes eligible once they are in their fourth season of retirement.
The Hall of Fame also announced that four committees would not put forth nominees this year, to give the "unique circumstances" of the potential 2020 class the weight they deserve – seemingly referring to Bryant's passing.
"The goal of this suspension is to provide each enshrinee with the recognition [...] he or she deserves upon election," a news release from Hall of Fame officials says.
Other notable names besides Bryant include Duncan and Garnett. Duncan is a former San Antonio Spurs power forward who is now an assistant coach for the team. He spent his entire career playing for the Spurs and was selected by the San Antonio team as the first overall pick in 1997 NBA draft, the year after Bryant was drafted.
Garnett, along with Duncan, is considered one of the greatest power forwards of all time. In his 21 NBA seasons he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Boston Celtics, and the Brooklyn Nets.
The other potential inductees include four-time Olympic gold medalist Catchings, former Houston Rockets coach Tomjanovich, former Baylor University coach Mulkey, former Bentley University coach Stevens, and former Oklahoma State coach Sutton.
The inductees will be revealed in April at the NCAA men's final four, and the induction will take place in August.
A piece of art depicting the late Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers jersey made of flowers was created and put on display at Michael Jordan's 57th birthday party in Chicago.
While the artist hasn't yet to claim credit for the work, the art was likely created by Mr. Flower Fantastic, a masked artist known for creating art using only flowers.
The artist has created other sculptures for the NBA and previously appeared — masked — on the "Today" show and at ComplexCon.
A masked artist replicated Kobe Bryant's famous Los Angeles Lakers jersey using flowers in an effort to honor the late basketball star at Michal Jordan's 57th birthday party in Chicago, Illinois.
The artist, who's also created a floral statue of one of Jordan's Nike sneakers, is believed to be a New York-based artist known as Mr. Flower Fantastic. He creates sculpture using a variety of different flowers, including roses, tulips, lilies, and orchids, according to his website and he wears a mask due to a pollen allergy.
Memorials and street art have popped up around the world since the famous athlete died in a helicopter crash in last month.
They made this Kobe Bryant jersey out of flowers at Michael Jordan’s birthday party in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/7ZE7CsjsZJ
Mr. Flower Fantastic's memorial art wouldn't be the first time the floral artist created pieces in respect to the National Basketball Association (NBA). His portfolio includes similar flower statues of Jordan's popular Nike sneakers, a 7-foot tall statue of the NBA's logo using 7,000 blooms.
Last year, the artist appeared on NBC's 'Today" show, creating a statue of a horse made of 25,000 roses leading up to the 2019 Kentucky Derby. He was also featured at ComplexCon in 2018, which is an annual convention organized by Complex Magazine.
A post shared by 𝙈𝙁𝙁 (@mrflowerfantastic) on Aug 12, 2019 at 11:47am PDT on
Tweets from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN indicate that the artist created the piece at Michael Jordan's party in Chicago, though neither outlet explicitly identified the artist or said who had commissioned the work.
Requests to comment to Mr. Flower Fantastic and representatives for Michael Jordan were not returned.
Former President Barack Obama made remarks about the death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, at the NBA All-Star Weekend Newsmaker Brunch on Saturday.
"Nothing is more heartbreaking," Obama said specifically about the death of Bryant's daughter.
Former President Barack Obama on Sunday once again sent condolences to the families of the nine killed in the helicopter crash that killed Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant.
"That loss is something I know many are still grappling with," Obama said Saturday at the National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Weekend Newsmaker Brunch. His remarks were captured in a video posted to Twitter by CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer.
Specifically, the former president mentioned the particular pain caused by the death of Bryant's 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, who also was killed in the January 26 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
"Because he was with his daughter and those families, and those children," the 58-year-old father to Sasha and Malia said. "And those of us who have had the joy and privilege of being parents and taking kids to ballgames, and rooting for our children, and seeing our dreams and hopes passed on to them. Nothing is more heartbreaking," he added before once again sharing condolences with the family impacted by the deaths.
It was a moving and emotional moment at the @NBA All-Star Weekend Newsmaker Brunch when former President @BarackObama spoke about Kobe Bryant. Watch this: pic.twitter.com/mC81HNVXuV
Obama shared similar remarks on Twitter on January 26, the day of Bryant's death.
"Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act," Obama wrote about Bryant, who in addition to being a retired NBA star had started to build a career in investing. "To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day."
In addition to Bryant and his teen daughter, college baseball coach John Altobelli, 56, the father of Gianna Bryant's basketball teammate Alyssa Altobelli; Sarah Chester, 45; and Ara Zobayan, 50, the pilot of the helicopter lost their lives in the crash that had no survivors.
The late basketball player, who spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers, earlier Saturday was nominated to join the NBA hall of fame.
Dr. Dre paid tribute to Kobe Bryant by dropping a career highlights audio-visual feature at the NBA All-Star game on Sunday.
The hip hop legend debuted new music and also sampled from his iconic 1996 song, "California Love," as well as Queen's "We Will Rock You."
The video showcased some of Bryant's finest career moments from when he began playing at just 18 years old to touching footage of him doting on his late daughter, Gianna.
It also featured a CGI-renamed Staples Center: "Kobe Center."
Dr. Dre paid tribute to Kobe Bryant with a career highlights video at the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday.
The Los Angeles-based hip hop legend produced an audio-visual spectacle, which featured new music alongside his seminal 1996 song with 2Pac, "California Love." It also sampled Queen's iconic beat from "We Will Rock You."
The CGI-video dramatically begins on Bryant's iconic number 24 Lakers jersey, which rises into a darkly lit Staple Center after a snake slithers from underneath it.
Viewers are then transported back to 1996 where a young Bryant excited the crowds during his first season for the Lakers at just 18 years old.
The montage used in-game sounds to accompany visuals of Bryant's finest career moments from slam-dunking on the court to celebrating championship wins.
Dr. Dre also included images of him cradling his daughter Gianna.
The video fittingly concludes with a reimagined CGI Staple Centre called "Kobe Centre."
After it premiered at the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night, the official NBA on TNT Twitter account posted Dr Dre's epic video.
Other stars also paid their respects for Bryant during the All-Star game at the United Centre in Chicago.
Jennifer Hudson performed a heart-warming rendition of the classic 1934 song "For All We Know," while flashback footage of Bryant was played in the background.
During the halftime show, Chance the Rapper also performed his song "I Was A Rock," which he originally performed as a tribute to late boxing champion Muhammad Ali in 2016.
Fans of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant are flocking to the wrong grave to pay their respects, according to a Southern California cemetery.
Staff at the Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona Del Mar, California, have been removing flowers and memorabilia left for Bryant and his daughter, Gianna "Gigi" Bryant, from a plot owned by another family.
A representative for the cemetery confirmed to USA Today that the gravesite in question "is not Kobe and Gianna's resting place," but some fans refuse to believe the claim.
Fans of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant are flocking to a Southern California cemetery to pay their respects to "The Black Mamba" and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna "Gigi" Bryant.
But according to a representative for the Pacific View Memorial Park, they've got the wrong place.
Staff at the Corona Del Mar, California, cemetery have continually removed flowers and memorabilia left for the Bryants from a private plot owned by another family, per a USA Today report published Wednesday.
"We can confirm that is not Kobe and Gianna's resting place,'' Ashley Bunton of Service Corporation International, which owns the Southern California cemetery, told USA Today. "We cannot divulge any additional details as to where they are. But we can tell you that is not the correct location.''
According to their death certificates, both Kobe and Gigi were buried at Pacific View Memorial Park on February 7. Fans began visiting the plot in question due in large part to a Daily Mail article that included photos of the gravesite and falsely identified it as the Bryants' resting place.
This is the private grave where Kobe and daughter Gianna were laid to rest side-by-side, decorated with Lakers colored flowers, pinwheels and rosaries placed on their headstone. funeral service held quietly last Friday at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar, California pic.twitter.com/Zoi4IugNYb
The cemetery has reportedly increased security as a result of the mix-up, and one security guard who spoke with USA Today said roughly 400 people showed up at the burial site this past weekend.
"[Fans] have actually run into the family members who've kind of shooed people away from that spot just because it's disturbing the peace to the person interred there,'' the security guard said.
Some fans refused to believe the cemetery's claim that the plot in question belonged to another family, assuming instead that it was an attempt to dissuade visitors from coming to the site. The plot coincidentally has an arrangement of flowers reflecting the Lakers' colors — purple and gold — but does not have any engravings.
The NBA icon and his 13-year-old daughter died along with seven others in a tragic helicopter crash on January 26, and the sports world has been in mourning ever since. The Staples Center — home of the Lakers — is set to host a public memorial for the Bryants on Monday.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The widow of Kobe Bryant has sued the owner of the helicopter that crashed in fog and killed her husband and her 13-year-old daughter last month.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed by Vanessa Bryant in Los Angeles says the pilot was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions Jan. 26 and should have aborted the flight.
Pilot Ara Zobayan was among the nine people killed in the crash.
The lawsuit was filed as a public memorial service for Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and all the victims was being held at the arena where Bryant played most of his career.
Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa Bryant delivered a tearful eulogy for her daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant during a memorial held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Monday.
Vanessa lamented that she would not be able to see Gigi go to high school, drive a car, or walk down the aisle for her wedding.
Kobe and Gigi, as well as six other passengers and the pilot, died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26.
In a eulogy Monday, Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa Bryant lamented that she wouldn't see her daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant grow up.
Vanessa spoke at the public memorial service held in memory of Kobe and Gigi at the Staples Center Monday morning.
"We will not be able to see Gigi go to high school with Natalia and ask her how her day went. We didn't get the chance to teach her how to drive a car," Vanessa said. "I won't be able to tell her how gorgeous she looks on her wedding day. I'll never get to see my baby girl walk down the aisle, have a father-daughter dance with her daddy, dance on the dance floor with me, or have babies of her own."
Kobe Bryant and Gigi were aboard a helicopter that crashed in Calabasas, California, at the end of January. Kobe, Gigi, six other passengers, and the helicopter pilot died in the crash.
Vanessa went on to talk about how Gigi wrote papers talking about the pay disparity between women and men's basketball and how she aspired to make a change in the industry.
"Gigi would have likely become the best player in the WNBA," Vanessa said. "She would've made a huge difference for women's basketball. Gigi was motivated to change how people viewed women in sports."
"She was a beautiful, kind, happy, silly, thoughtful and loving daughter and sister," Vanessa said. "She was so full of life and had so much more to offer the world."
"I cannot imagine life without her," Vanessa said, after a brief pause holding back tears.
The memorial was held on February 24, a significant date to both Kobe and Gianna. The date, 2/24, represented Bryant's jersey number, No. 24, and No. 2 was his daughter's.
The NBA world mourned the loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi at the Staples Center on Monday.
Celebrities from Los Angeles and superstars from around the NBA gathered to pay their respects to Bryant and share stories of their time with him.
During his time at the podium, Michael Jordan provided the crowd with a much-needed moment of levity, joking that he would once again become a meme as "Crying Jordan" after tearing up on stage.
The NBA world gathered at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to mourn the loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant on Monday.
While the gathering was a somber one, there were moments of levity, with former teammates sharing fond memories of the Lakers superstar and former rivals paying their respects to Bryant one last time.
Michael Jordan offered a touching eulogy for Bryant. "Kobe left nothing in the tank. He left it all on the floor," Jordan said.
"Kobe was my dear friend; he was like my little brother," Jordan said. "Everybody always wanted to talk about the comparisons between he and I. I just wanted to talk about Kobe."
At one point, Jordan teared up and provided a much-needed moment of levity in the midst of some somber circumstances, referencing the "Crying Jordan" meme that was inescapable for years.
"Now he's got me — I'll have to look at another crying meme for the next," Jordan said with tears streaming down his face before getting cut off by laughs and applause. "I told my wife I wasn't going to do this because I didn't want to see this for the next three or four years. That is what Kobe Bryant does to me."
At a public memorial service at the Staples Center on Monday, Vanessa Bryant gave thousands of people glimpses of Kobe Bryant when he wasn't on the basketball court.
The longtime Los Angeles Laker died on January 26 in a helicopter crash that also killed his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other passengers.
"He would do anything for me," Vanessa Bryant said of her late husband, who was also a "doting" and "hands-on" father.
"May you both rest in peace and have fun in heaven. Until we meet again, we love you both and miss you, forever and always, mommy," she said to Kobe and Gigi at the conclusion of her speech.
In an emotional speech that had more than a few guests crying, Vanessa Bryant said on Monday that God knew her husband and daughter "couldn't be on this earth without each other. He had to bring them home to Heaven together."
Kobe and Gianna "Gigi" Bryant were among nine people who died in a helicopter crash in the Calabasas, California, hills on January 26. Nearly 20,000 people were expected to attend the Celebration of Life memorial service that was held in honor of all the victims at the Staples Center, the home to the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom the NBA icon spent his entire career.
In her eulogy, Vanessa Bryant shared with people an intimate look into the man they know and revere as a basketball legend.
"I couldn't see him as a celebrity nor just an incredible basketball player," she said. "He was my sweet husband and the beautiful father of our children. He was mine. He was my everything."
'He would do anything for me'
The pair had been together for nearly 20 years. Vanessa Bryant, now 37, was 17 when they met and Kobe was 21.
"I was his first girlfriend, his first love, his wife, his best friend, his confidante, and his protector," she said. "He was the most amazing husband. Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words ... He would do anything for me. I have no idea how I deserved a man that loved and wanted me more than Kobe."
Vanessa Bryant also said Kobe was the "romantic one" in their marriage who looked forward to and made special plans for Valentine's Day and their anniversary.
"He gave me the actual notebook and the blue dress Rachel McAdams wore in 'The Notebook' movie," she said, adding that he picked it because that's what Allie, McAdams' character in the movie, was wearing when she reunited with Noah in the film.
"We had hoped to grow old together like the movie," Vanessa Bryant said. "We really had an amazing love story. We loved each other with our whole beings. Two perfectly imperfect people making a beautiful family and raising our sweet and amazing girls."
'MVP of girl dads'
"Kobe was the MVP of girl dads — or MVD," Bryant added. "He never left the toilet seat up. He always told the girls how beautiful and smart they are. He taught them how to be brave and how to keep pushing forward when things get tough."
She also shared funny stories about their time together, all of which highlighted his love for his family and children.
After retiring from the NBA in 2018, Kobe Bryant opted to pick up and drop off their children from school.
"When Kobe was still playing, I used to show up an hour early to be the first in line to pick up Natalia and Gianna from school, and I told him he couldn't drop the ball once he took over. He was late — one time — and we most definitely let him know that I was never late."
After that, he was at his girls' school an hour and 20 minutes before it let out, Vanessa Bryant said of Kobe's "doting,""hands-on," and "present" way of being a father.
Never too busy for his family
He was similarly "tender" toward her as well.
"Kobe somehow knew where I was at all times, specifically when I was late to his games," Vanessa Bryant said. "He would worry about me if I wasn't in my seat at the start of each game. He would ask security where I was at the first time out of the first quarter. And my smart a-- would tell him that he wasn't going to drop 81 points within the first 10 minutes of the game."
Eventually he realized that as a parent, it's not always possible to stick to a schedule, she said, but "the fact that he could play on an intense professional level and still be concerned by making sure we made it to the game safely was just another example of how family came first to him."
One of the greatest joys of Kobe Bryant's life was being able to coach Gigi's basketball team.
"She was thoughtful like him," Vanessa Bryant said. "They were so easy to love. Everyone naturally gravitated towards them. They were funny, happy, silly, and they loved life. They were so full of joy and adventure."
Kobe Bryant had hoped their daughters Bianca and Capri would follow in his footsteps so he could spend extra time with them, Vanessa Bryant said.
"Now they won't have their daddy and sister here to teach them, and that is truly a loss I do not understand. But I'm so thankful Kobe heard Coco say 'dada,'" she said.
'Until we meet again'
His tragic death means their family will miss out on all the memories that they had yet to create together, from small moments like his youngest children starting kindergarten to him walking each of the four girls down the aisle one day.
"But I want my daughters to know and remember the amazing person, husband, and father he was" and the effort he put into empowering the youth, she said.
Vanessa Bryant spoke directly to her husband and asked him to enjoy his time with their daughter.
"Babe, you take care of our Gigi, and I got Nani, BB, and Coco," she said, her voice breaking. "We are still the best team. We love and miss you, booboo and Gigi. May you both rest in peace and have fun in heaven. Until we meet again, we love you both and miss you, forever and always, mommy."
A public memorial for Kobe and Gianna Bryant was held at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday.
The tribute included speeches from Vanessa Bryant, Jimmy Kimmel, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Diana Taurasi, and more, plus performances from Usher, Alicia Keys, and Christina Aguilera.
Numerous other celebrities and NBA stars attended to pay tribute to Bryant and his family.
A public memorial for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna was held on Monday at The Staples Center in Los Angeles. Kobe and Gianna were two of nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26.
The date, 2/24, was meant to commemorate their jersey numbers.
The event drew numerous celebrities and NBA legends, current and former, who came to pay tribute, showing the wide reach of Bryant's life.
The event included speeches from Bryant's wife, Vanessa, Jimmy Kimmel, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Diana Taurasi, and more. It also included performances from Usher, Alicia Keys, and Christina Aguilera. The entire event struck a graceful tone of somber and happiness, as speakers reflected on Bryant's life, passion, competitiveness, and love for his family and friends.
Here are some photos of some of the big-name attendees. Note: this is not a complete list of all who were in attendance.
Vanessa Bryant gave a heartbreaking speech about Kobe and Gianna's lives away from basketball.
Kobe Bryant's parents, Joe and Pamela.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
Jimmy Kimmel spoke and hosted the event.
Michael Jordan gave a speech about growing to view Kobe as a little brother.
Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe's former teammate, spoke.
Usher sang at the memorial.
UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma spoke about Gianna Bryant's passion for basketball and Kobe's parenting.
WNBA star Diana Taurasi spoke about training like Kobe.
Oregon basketball star Sabrina Ionescu spoke about idolizing Bryant and teaching Gianna.
Alicia Keys performed Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata."
Christina Aguilera performed.
Lakers GM and Kobe's former agent Rob Pelinka spoke.
Michael Phelps and his wife, Nicole Johnson.
Jay Z.
Beyonce.
Queen Latifah.
Snoop Dogg.
LL Cool J.
Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez. Spike Lee sat near Lopez.
Lakers owner Jeannie Buss.
From left to right: NBA legend Jerry West, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, Clippers executive Lawrence Frank, and Clippers head coach Doc Rivers.
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union.
Paula Abdul.
Phil Jackson.
Magic Johnson.
Russell Westbrook.
Anthony Davis.
James Harden.
Stephen Curry.
Draymond Green.
Kyrie Irving sat in the same row as Curry and Green.
Dwight Howard.
Gregg Popovich.
Former NBA player Rick Fox.
Tim Duncan and DeMar DeRozan.
Derek Fisher.
Devin Booker.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Pau Gasol.
Rajon Rondo.
Now, here's a look back at Kobe and Vanessa's relationship...
NBA legend Michael Jordan said the late Kobe Bryant was like a "little brother" to him. "When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died," he said at Monday's memorial for Bryant.
Jordan delivered a tearful speech honoring Bryant at a memorial dedicated to him and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
At the conclusion of his speech, tears were streaming down the basketball legend's face. He offered a moment of levity by joking that he would become "another crying meme for the next three years."
LOS ANGELES - NBA legend Michael Jordan delivered a tearful eulogy to his "little brother" Kobe Bryant at a memorial tribute to him and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna "Gigi" Bryant.
Jordan spoke at the public memorial honoring Kobe and Gigi, which was held at the Staples Center Monday morning.
Kobe, Gigi, and seven other people died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26.
"Kobe was my dear friend, he was like a little brother," he said. "Everyone always wanted to talk about the comparisons between he and I."
Jordan said it was a "nuisance" at first to always be compared with Bryant, but he said "that nuisance turned into love over a period of time, just because the admiration that they have for you as big brothers or big sisters."
"He used to call me, text me, 11:30, 2:30, 3 o'clock in the morning, talking about post-up moves, footwork, and sometimes the training," he said. "At first, it was an aggravation. But then it turned into a certain passion."
Jordan said he ultimately grew into his role as Bryant's "big brother," and wanted to "be the best big brother that I could be."
"To do that, you have to put up with the aggravation, the late night calls or the dumb questions," he said. "I took great pride as I got to know Kobe Bryant that he was just trying to be a better person, a better basketball player."
At the conclusion of his speech, tears were streaming down the basketball legend's face. He offered a moment of levity by joking that he would become "another crying meme for the next three years."
He related to the thousands of people in attendance at the memorial, saying he shared in their grief, and he made a promise to remember all of the memories with his "little brother."
"When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died," Jordan said. "And as I look in this arena and across the globe, a piece of you died or else you wouldn't be here."
"I promise you, from this day forward, I will live with the memories of knowing that I had a little brother, that I tried to help in every way I could," he continued. "Please rest in peace, little brother."
Watch his speech here:
“As I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother that I could be.”
Thousands of Los Angeles Lakers fans showed up at the Staples Center to attend the memorial honoring NBA icon Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
Some fans who didn't have tickets just to be around others who felt the same loss in the wake of Bryant's sudden death.
"Compared to other leaders, not to get political, he did something that no one else in this world has ever been able to do," one Lakers fan told Insider. "We come from all walks of life, races, nationalities, but we're all here."
Thousands flocked to the Staples Center in Los Angeles to attend the memorial of the late Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
Despite the arena having a maximum capacity of 20,000 seats, some fans showed up without a ticket in hopes of finding last-minute tickets to get inside.
Joanne Obligacion, who is from the Bay area, told Insider that she took a flight down to Los Angeles
"I didn't win a ticket because I got wait-listed, and I tried on four different devices, but I ain't got no luck," she said. "I honestly came to see if people were going to sell tickets, but there was no luck with that either."
Nonetheless, Obligacion thought she would stick around outside the stadium to be around other Los Angeles Lakers fans who were also grieving over the loss of the NBA icon.
"I thought I would just come out here to be with the people who are going to be here to celebrate his life," she said.
Verania Garcia, from Orange County, California, told Insider she still booked a hotel overnight to save herself the drive, despite not being able to buy a ticket online. Although she wasn't afforded the opportunity to memorialize the basketball icon inside the Staples Center, Garcia said she still wanted to be around fellow Lakers fans.
"This man was able to unite the world," Garcia said of the turnout at the event. "Compared to other leaders, not to get political, he did something that no one else in this world has ever been able to do. We come from all walks of life, races, nationalities, but we're all here."
"Everybody is just embracing this day. Everyone is feeling heavy," she continued.
The memorial was held on February 24, a significant date to both Kobe and Gianna. The date, 2/24, represented Bryant's jersey number, No. 24, and No. 2 was his daughter's.
Tickets also reflected the two jersey numbers, as they were priced at three tiers — $224 each, 2 for $224, and $24.02 each, according to a Lakers press release. Fans were chosen at random to receive an invitation to participate in the public ticket release.
The proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, an organization dedicated to "further Kobe and Gianna Bryant's legacy through charitable endeavors in sports," according to the foundation's website.
The press release "strongly advised" fans who didn't receive a ticket to stay home, as there were no overflow viewing areas outside the stadium.
A public memorial was held at Staples Center on Monday night to honor Kobe and Gianna "Gigi" Bryant and the seven others who died in a helicopter crash on January 26.
The event, which was held symbolically on February 24, or 2/24, a tribute to Gigi's and Kobe's respective jersey numbers, featured musical tributes, speeches from friends and former teammates, and a eulogy from Kobe's wife and Gigi's mom, Vanessa Bryant.
"He was my everything," Bryant said of her husband. She described not a celebrity or a basketball icon but just her "sweet husband."
She described the couple's relationship and the bond they shared.
"I was his first girlfriend, his first love, his wife, his best friend, his confidante, and his protector," she said. "He was the most amazing husband. Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words ... He would do anything for me. I have no idea how I deserved a man that loved and wanted me more than Kobe."
She said she hoped the two would grow old together.
Jimmy Kimmel cried as he talked about the nine people who died in the crash.
"This is a sad day, but it is also a celebration of life," Kimmel said.
The "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" host had the crowd in tears as he honored the nine people who died in the January 26 helicopter crash.
"She was so full of life and had so much more to offer the world," Vanessa Bryant said of her daughter Gigi.
Bryant spoke about how she wouldn't be able to see Gigi grow up and accomplish great things, her daughter's love for basketball, and her commitment to change the perception of women in sports.
"She was a beautiful, kind, happy, silly, thoughtful and loving daughter and sister," Bryant said.
Beyoncé sang one of Kobe Bryant's favorite songs.
Beyoncé opened the memorial with one of Kobe Bryant's favorite songs.
The singer asked the crowd to join her as she sang a rendition of "XO," from her 2013 album, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' general manager, spoke on his friendship with Kobe and being a #girldad.
Pelinka began his speech by asking whether the audience members remembered where they were on the day of the helicopter crash, describing it as "when the axis of the world seemed to shift forever for all of us."
The Lakers' general manager said he was texting Kobe Bryant before the crash and despite wanting to put down the phone felt a "nudge" to reply.
He said Bryant was texting him for help to secure an internship for Lexi Altobelli, whose father, Orange Coast College coach John Altobelli; mother, Keri Altobelli; and sister, Alyssa Altobelli, also died in the crash.
"He wanted to use his platform to bless and shape a young girl's future," Pelinka said.
Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1232028546572443648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Rob Pelinka, Lakers GM and Kobe Bryant's former agent, said he received a text from Bryant shortly before his helicopter crashed #KobeFarewellhttps://t.co/ww51ZxTqznpic.twitter.com/6KcJB3UNtW
Phoenix Mercury player Diana Taurasi also spoke about Kobe Bryant and Gigi.
Taurasi, also known as White Mamba, not only spoke on how Bryant inspired her but also her interactions with Gigi.
The Phoenix Mercury player reminisced on watching Bryant play for the Lakers when she was starting her career in college.
"He made it OK to play with an edge that borderlined crazy," Taurasi said. "Early-onset Mamba mentality was in full effect," she said.
She spoke on the passion and skill she saw in Gigi.
"The same passion we saw in Kobe, obviously Gigi inherited," she said.
Keys also performed a favorite song of Kobe and Vanessa's. Images of the couple were shown on the Jumbotron, as Keys played Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" on the piano.
Keys also paid tribute to Kobe Bryant when she hosted the Grammys this year, which fell on the same day as the helicopter crash.
NBA legend Michael Jordan joked about his crying meme while giving a tearful speech.
In the midst of a heartfelt eulogy to his fellow basketball icon, Jordan laughed that he was being set up for another "Crying Jordan" meme.
"Now he's got me — I'll have to look at another crying meme for the next —," Jordan said with tears streaming down his face, before getting cut off by laughs and applause. "I told my wife I wasn't going to do this because I didn't want to see this for the next three or four years. That is what Kobe Bryant does to me."
Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1232038403178258432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw "As I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother that I could be."
Shaquille O'Neal got the crowd laughing with Kobe memories.
O'Neal began his speech by saying he never imagined he would be speaking at Kobe Bryant's memorial.
"It pains me to my core," he said.
The two won three consecutive NBA championships together, and O'Neill acknowledged their complicated relationship. He said he was grieving for his "brother."
He reminisced on their many interactions.
The crowd erupted in laughter when O'Neill told the story of a time when other players complained that Bryant wasn't passing the ball. O'Neill said he told him, "Kobe, there's no 'I' in team," to which Bryant replied, "I know, but there is an 'm' 'e' in that motherf---er."
Shaquille O'Neal joked about the moment his former teammate Kobe Bryant gained his respect early in his career at a memorial for the star and his daughter Gianna on Monday.
O'Neal recounted the moment that two of Bryant's Lakers teammates complained to him that Bryant was not passing enough.
O'Neal said that as one of the team's senior players, he went to Bryant and told him: "Kobe, there's no I in team."
Bryant replied: "No, but there is a M-E in that, motherf-----."
Afterward, O'Neal said he went back to the teammates, the Lakers legends Rick Fox and Robert "Big Shot Rob" Horry, and told them: "Just get the rebound; he's not passing."
Shaquille O'Neal joked that his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant once told him there is an "M-E" in team after his teammates complained that Bryant was not passing the ball enough.
"I said, 'I'll talk to him.' I said, 'Kobe, there's no I in team.' And Kobe said, 'I know, but there's a M-E in that, motherf-----.'"
Afterward, O'Neal said he went back to the teammates, the Lakers legends Rick Fox and Robert "Big Shot Rob" Horry, and told them: "Just get the rebound; he's not passing."
You can watch the emotional moment below:
Shaq: “I told Kobe there’s no I in team”
Kobe: “I know but there’s a “ME” in that mothafucka”
After that lighthearted anecdote, O'Neal took a more serious and reflective tone, telling the audience: "Mamba, you were taken away from us way too soon. The next chapter of your life was just beginning, but now it's time for us to continue your legacy.
"You said yourself that everything negative — pressure, challenges — is all an opportunity for me to rise. So we now take that sage advice, and we now rise from anguish and begin with the healing.
"Just know that we got your back, little brother."
Vanessa Bryant was the "Queen Mamba" to Kobe's "Black Mamba," and they were married for nearly 20 years.
When Kobe and the couple's 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were killed in a helicopter crash last month, fans, athletes, and journalists shared their memories of Kobe as a devoted husband and father.
He and Vanessa met when she was in high school and he was a young NBA star.
The couple weathered infidelity and teetered on divorce, but ultimately they stayed together until Kobe's untimely death in late January.
In the days after the crash, fans and athletes remembered not only Kobe's incredible legacy as a basketball player but also his reputation as a loving family man who was devoted to his wife, Vanessa, and their four daughters.
At a public memorial service held at the Staples Center a month after their deaths, Vanessa offered a heartbreaking tribute to her daughter and her "soulmate" Kobe. "God knew they couldn't be on this Earth without each other," she said.
Vanessa and Kobe Bryant were married for 19 years before the basketball star's sudden death.
The couple met when Vanessa was a senior in high school. Her classmates were stunned when she caught the eye of then-20-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant.
Though many know the Black Mamba as one of the greatest players of all time, not as many know the woman who was by his side since the first years of his career.
This is how the Bryants weathered drama on and off the court while growing their family and cementing themselves as one of the most well-known couples in basketball.
During the summer before her senior year of high school in 1999, Vanessa was spotted at a concert and asked to appear in a music video.
Vanessa was called to appear in a music video alongside rappers Snoop Dogg and Tha Eastsidaz for their song "G'd Up" and wore a metallic bikini for her debut as a music-video model.
Shortly after the shoot, the 17-year-old was called to appear in another music video. That's when she met 20-year-old Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant.
The basketball phenom later wrote on Instagram that he asked Vanessa for her number on November 28, 1999, and the pair went to Disneyland on their first date. Bodyguards trailed them at the park.
Vanessa soon became widely known as Kobe's other half, and their relationship caused a stir while she was attending her senior year at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California.
"She'd bring pictures of Kobe to school, and we'd all be like 'Omygod!' " Vanessa's former classmate Monica Squadrilli told the Los Angeles Times. "I remember there was one of him playing with her puppies, and she would only let us look at it, we couldn't touch it."
Other classmates told the LA Times they remembered Kobe sending roses to the school office and picking her up from class in his Mercedes.
Vanessa became a fixture at Kobe's side in appearances at games and on red carpets before the Lakers star proposed at her 18th birthday party six months after they met.
The couple famously did not sign a prenuptial agreement. Vanessa's stepfather, Stephen Laine, later told the Los Angeles Times that "she just came home one day and said something to the effect that Kobe didn't want a prenup — that he loved her too much."
The young couple got married in April 2001, but the wedding was at the center of family drama.
Fewer than two years after they first met, the couple got married at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Southern California's Dana Point.
Kobe later told the Orlando Sentinel that his relationship with Vanessa had sparked a large rift between him and his father. His father, Joe, denied holding any hostility toward his daughter-in-law, saying they were "cool." He acknowledged a rift with his son but said he respected Kobe's life.
"It's his life, we've got nothing to do with it," he told the paper. "We've done our job."
As Kobe's star continued to rise, Vanessa was by his side. The couple thrilled fans when they announced in September 2002 that they were expecting a daughter.
When they went out in public, bodyguards went too.
The couple's first child, Natalia Diamante Bryant, was born on January 19, 2003.
Her middle name was a nod to Vanessa's love of diamonds, according to the LA Times.
Later that year, a 19-year-old woman accused Kobe of sexually assaulting her on a June 2003 trip to Denver.
In a statement released after the allegation surfaced, Vanessa stood by Kobe and said she trusted he would make amends in their marriage.
"I know that my husband has made a mistake, the mistake of adultery," she said in the statement. "He and I will have to deal with that within our marriage, and we will do so. He is not a criminal."
The Lakers guard held a July 2003 press conference in the Staples Center, where he acknowledged his infidelity but said the sexual encounter was consensual. As he spoke, Vanessa was at his side holding his hand.
"I sit here in front of you guys furious at myself, disgusted at myself for making the mistake of adultery," he said. "I love my wife with all my heart. She's my backbone."
In the months after the scandal, all eyes were on Vanessa's hand. An opulent ring was rumored to be Kobe's penance.
It was initially rumored that the couple was headed for divorce after the scandal, but a $4 million 8-carat purple diamond ring was rumored to be a token of apology from the basketball star to his wife.
The star also showed off a fresh tattoo he got to honor her.
It included her name and angel wings on his right bicep.
Kobe later said in a 2015 documentary that it was around this time Vanessa had a miscarriage, which he blamed on himself.
Kobe said in the 2015 Showtime documentary "Muse" that Vanessa had a miscarriage while expecting the couple's second child.
He said he blamed himself and had wondered if the stress she experienced during his cheating scandal and sexual-assault charge led to the miscarriage.
"It's something I have a real hard time dealing with that because I felt like it was just my fault," Kobe said in the documentary. "The reality is it happened because of me. That's something I have to deal with. Something I gotta carry forever."
Three years after the birth of their first child, Gianna Bryant was born on May 1, 2006.
"The arrival of our daughter early this morning is an incredible blessing for me and my family," Kobe said in a statement. "We are all full of beautiful emotions after what has been such an incredible day."
As Kobe continued to dominate the court, the couple turned to philanthropic efforts to give back to Los Angeles.
In 2007, the couple expanded their philanthropic reach when they established the Vivo Foundation, which would later become known as the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation.
The organization's mission statement says it is dedicated to helping children and families in need with financial and educational resources and "encouraging young people to stay active through sports."
The couple appeared to be on the rocks again in December 2011, when after 10 years together, Vanessa filed for divorce in Orange County Superior Court.
But after the filing, which cited "irreconcilable differences," rumors swirled for months that the couple wouldn't go through with it.
In January 2013, the couple posted on social media to make their reconciliation official, the LA Times reported.
"We are looking forward to our future together," Vanessa said on Instagram. And Kobe wrote on Facebook that "when the show ends and the music stops, the journey is made beautiful by having that someone to share it with."
After their reconciliation, Vanessa and the couple's daughters were a fixture in the audience at Kobe's games.
Sitting courtside was one of the many perks the family had access to when Kobe was the highest-paid player in the NBA.
The license plate on Vanessa's Mercedes-Benz said "ICE QN," according to the LA Times.
In 2016, Kobe and Vanessa welcomed their third daughter, Bianka Bryant, shortly before the basketball star announced his retirement.
Three years later, the couple welcomed their fourth daughter in 2019, Capri Kobe Bryant.
Vanessa is famously a private person and rarely grants interviews.
She did release a statement after her husband's retirement: "I'm so excited to see what God has in store for us as a family now that one chapter is closing and new ones are opening."
Vanessa and her daughters were a focal point of Kobe's growing image as a family man as the retired player focused on working with charities and women's sports.
The new chapter of Kobe's career expanded on the family's existing efforts to encourage young athletes, and the father of four initially pulled away from basketball but became more involved in it as his daughter Gianna showed a flourishing interest in the sport.
Kobe coached his daughter's team, the Mambas, and established the Mamba Sports Academy, which hosts a wide variety of athletes for holistic training, practices, and tournaments alongside NBA and WNBA players.
The Bryant family was thrust into the spotlight again when Kobe and 13-year-old Gianna were killed in a shocking helicopter crash on January 26.
Kobe and Gianna were among the nine victims who were traveling to the Thousand Oaks, California, Mamba training facility when their helicopter crashed.
Fans, athletes, and sports journalists mourned the losses of one of basketball's greatest icons and one of its most promising future athletes.
The singer Jessica Simpson shared an Instagram post after the accident that included a photo of the area where the helicopter crashed and a touching caption that paid tribute to Vanessa and Kobe's relationship.
"My heart is completely broken for all the families and loved ones left behind trying to make sense of things in this tragic moment," Simpson wrote. "Vanessa, you are the woman and wife that championed your husband to greatness."
The Wednesday after the crash, Vanessa changed her Instagram profile picture to a photo of Kobe and Gianna hugging and smiling.
It was her first public social-media activity since their deaths on Sunday.
A few hours later, Vanessa posted a tribute to Gianna and Kobe, from herself and their three surviving daughters.
Vanessa said that she and her family were "devastated" by the sudden loss of Kobe and Gianna.
She described them as "our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon."
Vanessa vowed they would continue despite their pain. She said: "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."
As part of the tribute, she announced a fund to support the families of the other seven people killed in the helicopter crash.
Vanessa was at the center of a public memorial service held to honor her husband and daughter, where she made a heartbreaking speech.
"We will not be able to see Gigi go to high school," she said. "We didn't have the chance to teach her how to drive a car. I won't be able to tell her how gorgeous she looks on her wedding day or see her walk down the aisle. She won't have a father-daughter dance with her daddy or dance on the dance floor with me or have babies of her own."
Vanessa said the 13-year-old could have become "the best player in the WNBA," setting off cheers from the crowd that included athletes and celebrities like Michael Jordan, Jennifer Lopez, and Snoop Dogg.
Speaking about her "soulmate" Kobe, Vanessa described a doting dad and devoted husband who went above and beyond the basketball legend the public admired.
"He was my sweet husband and the beautiful father of our children," Vanessa said. "He was mine. He was my everything. Kobe loved me more than I could ever put into words. We balanced each other out. I have no idea how I deserved a man that loved and wanted me more than Kobe."
Vanessa said that "God knew they couldn't be on this Earth without each other."
"He had to bring them home to have them together. Babe, you take care of our Gigi. I got Nani, BB, and Coco. We are still the best team."
On Monday night, there was an emotional public memorial for Kobe and Gianna "Gigi" Bryant and the seven others who died in a helicopter crash.
Edward R. Hirt is a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Indiana University, writes that there's a reason why so many felt personally bereft at Bryant's passing.
Even though most never met him, many people felt themselves deeply affected by Kobe Bryant's recent death.
Parasocial bonds, where people develop one-way relationships that they feel intimately connected to (often through social media) and reminders of mortality deeply affect people, Hirt said.
On the afternoon of Jan. 26, I was at the Indiana men's basketball game when a chorus of cellphones in the crowd pinged, alerting them to the news of Kobe Bryant's death. I was astonished at how quickly fans' attention switched from the game to utter shock and disbelief at the news of Bryant's passing.
How can so many be so deeply affected by the death of someone they've never even met? Why might some people see Kobe as a family member?
As a social psychologist, I'm not surprised by these reactions. I see three clinical reasons that explain why Bryant's death had such a profound effect on so many people.
1. Bonds from afar
Psychologists Shira Gabriel and Melanie Green have written about how many of us make "parasocial bonds" with other people. These tend to be one-way relationships with people whom we've never met or interacted with, but nonetheless feel intimately connected to.
But interest in parasocial relationships has exploded in the age of social media: People who follow celebrities on Twitter and Instagram get access to their relationships, emotions, opinions, triumphs, and challenges.
Still, there was something about Bryant's death that seemed particularly tragic.
There's no way to measure whether the outpouring of public grief surpassed that of recent celebrity deaths like Michael Jackson, Prince, or Robin Williams. But it's certainly possible that the unique circumstances surrounding Kobe Bryant's death evoked stronger emotions.
Bryant died in a helicopter during extremely foggy conditions. This can lead to a lot of "what ifs," otherwise known as "counterfactual thoughts." Work by psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky has shown that when we can easily come up with ways to undo an outcome — say, "if it had been a clear day, Kobe would still be alive"— it can intensify the anger, sadness, or frustration about a negative event. It makes the death seem that much more random — and make us feel like it never should have happened in the first place.
Furthermore, Bryant's 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died in the accident, along with seven others. This broadens Bryant's identity beyond the basketball court, reminding people of his role as a father of four daughters — three of whom will now have to live without their sister and father.
3. Reminder of mortality
I'd also add that our grief over Kobe's death may actually be less about him — and more about us.
According to "terror management theory," reminders of our own mortality evoke an existential terror. In response, we search for ways to give our lives meaning and seek comfort and reassurance by connecting with loved ones. I found it striking that following the news of Bryant's death, his former teammate Shaquille O'Neal said that he had called up several estranged friends in order to make amends. Bryant's death was a stark reminder that life's too short to hold onto petty grudges.
Similarly, after the loss of loved ones, we'll often hear people suggest hugging those we love tightly, or living every day to the fullest.
Many had felt like they had gotten to know Bryant after watching him play basketball on TV for 20 years. His death was tragic, reminding us that we, too, will someday die, making us wonder what we'll have to show for our lives.
Sabrina Ionescu made history as the first college player to have 2,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 1,000 rebounds in her career mere hours after eulogizing Kobe and Gigi Bryant.
The 22-year-old had a close relationship with Los Angeles Lakers legend and his daughter, a budding star in her own right who looked up to Ionescu for her success in the women's game.
Ionescu had trained with Gigi multiple times, while "The Black Mamba" brought his daughter to multiple Oregon games, spoke in the Ducks' locker room, and maintained close contact with Ionescu.
After reaching the historic feat Monday night, Ionescu said of her mentor: "He's looking down and really proud of me."
Oregon Ducks superstar Sabrina Ionescu — who was known as a mentee of the late Kobe Bryant and a mentor to his daughter, Gigi Bryant — made NCAA history in a sensational performance mere hours after eulogizing Kobe and Gigi Bryant.
Ionescu — who owns the all-time NCAA record for career triple-doubles among both men and women — became the first college player regardless of gender to register 2,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 1,000 rebounds in her career thanks to a 21-point, 12-rebound, 12-assist showing against the No. 4 Stanford Cardinal Monday night. The impressive stat line marked her 26th career triple-double and her eighth during her senior year.
"That one was for (Kobe)," Ionescu said, per CNN. "To do it on 2/24/20 is huge. We talked about that in the preseason; I can't really put that into words. He's looking down and really proud of me."
The date — 2/24/20 — signifies the jersey numbers of Gigi, Kobe, and Ionescu herself. And as the night came to a close, the 22-year-old point guard tweeted some other surreal statistics reflecting the significance of her relationship with the Bryants.
2.24.20= 2k 1k 1k 2+24=26 total triple doubles 8=total triple doubles this season so far Your presence is felt. Just like we talked about... I HEAR YOU🐍🙏🏼 Thank you KB. pic.twitter.com/T7IRdXsRSa
Earlier in the day, Ionescu spoke in front of some 20,000 mourners at Kobe and Gigi's memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. She spoke about Kobe's influence on "the outsiders who outworked everyone else" and how she was motivated to "be a part of the generation that changed basketball for Gigi and her teammates" before calling on everyone in the arena to "shine for us, for our sport, where [Kobe] once did [and] invest in us with the same passion and drive and respect and love as he did his own daughter."
"I still text [Kobe] even though he's not here."
– Sabrina Ionescu while speaking at Kobe and Gianna Bryant's Celebration of Life pic.twitter.com/sOVh82u68Z
Ionescu had a close personal relationship with both Bryants, who tragically died in a helicopter crash along with seven others on January 26. Gigi, a budding basketball star in her own right, looked up to Ionescu for her success in the women's game. She and her father sat in on games for various top women's basketball programs, and after attending one of the Ducks' games at USC last January, the three basketball stars formed a bond.
Kobe attended other games Ionescu played in and even devoted an entire episode of his ESPN+ show "Detail" analyzing her play. According to CNN, Ionescu even spent time over the summer working out with Gigi and assisting Kobe in coaching her team, aptly called The Mambas.
A post shared by Sabrina Ionescu (@sabrina_i) on Feb 1, 2020 at 10:02am PST on
It's only fitting, then, that she'd achieve one of the greatest achievements of her young but storied career on a day the world tuned in to mourn her idol and her mentee.
"In true Sabrina fashion, she goes out on the biggest day in the biggest moment and shines bright," Oregon head coach Kelly Graves said. "It was really neat to see how hard she competed tonight. Gave it everything she had."
The triple-double machine — who was widely projected to be a top WNBA draft pick after her junior season — opted to return to Oregon for her final season of eligibility to compete for a national championship. She credited Kobe with influencing her decision to stay.
Ionescu and the third-ranked Ducks walked away from Monday night's game at Stanford with the 74-66 victory. They have two more regular-season games remaining on their schedule before heading into the postseason and fighting for another trip to the Final Four. But even though she initially came back to Oregon in her own self-interest, her final year in green and yellow has taken on a whole new meaning.
LeBron James says he wants people to stop asking him about Kobe Bryant because he and Bryant's family are "trying to move on."
Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash last month in California.
"I don't want to keep going back on it," James said on Sunday, according to ESPN. "I think it's unfair and it's unjust to his family, as they're trying to move on. We're all trying to move on."
Bryant was honored in a memorial service at Staples Center on Monday night in which his wife, Vanessa; his longtime teammate Shaquille O'Neal; and his mentor Michael Jordan all gave touching speeches.
James spent the day "in his own space," according to ESPN, and on Tuesday described himself as "emotionally a wreck."
LeBron James says he wants people to stop asking him about Kobe Bryant because he and Bryant's family are "trying to move on."
Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash last month in California.
"I don't want to keep going back on it," James said Sunday when asked about the Los Angeles Lakers icon, according to ESPN.
"I think it's unfair and it's unjust to his family, as they're trying to move on," James said. "We're all trying to move on — but also know that he's with us. His jersey is sitting in my locker right now. But it just puts me in a difficult mindset when I continue to harp on it ... I'm trying to [stop], if you can respect that."
Bryant's wife, Vanessa, also gave a tearful eulogy, saying: "He was my sweet husband and the beautiful father of our children. He was mine. He was my everything."
It is unclear whether James attended the memorial, though his agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN that the Lakers forward spent the day "in his own space."
The day after the service, James scored 40 points as the Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 118-109, after which he was met with further questions about Bryant, including how he was coping with the death of his friend.
"Emotionally a wreck, like everyone else," James replied, according to ESPN, adding: "Like you've been hearing me talk about the last couple times you guys asked me about the whole situation, it's just been hard to kind of talk about it.
"Trying not to go back. It's just tough."
The Lakers next take on the Golden State Warriors on Friday.
What felt like hours was less than 20 minutes. Local reports came in, confirming a helicopter crash. Stomachs tightened. Perhaps in a cruel irony, the worst was confirmed by top NBA reporter 
Bryant's next passion was "storytelling." Following his retirement, Bryant dove head-first into the creative world, forming Granity Studios, a multimedia company that creates children's books, podcasts, TV series, and films, many of which focused on youth sports to teach life lessons. 
Players paid tribute across the league. Some wrote messages on their shoes. The Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young began the game wearing a No. 8 jersey in honor of Bryant. Teams held moments of silence before games and started games with eight-second back-court violations and 
Meanwhile, Staples Center in Los Angeles became an unofficial funeral home. 
Another incorrect report said that Rick Fox, a former NBA player and teammate of Bryant's, was also on the helicopter. Fox later said that he was unaware of the report and was ignoring calls and texts from loved ones, sending them into a panic. He eventually answered, revealing he wasn't in the crash, but the event was traumatic nonetheless.
"The whole process for me was trying to figure out how to cope with this,"
