Kobe And Gianna Bryant’s Memorial Service: Thousands Of Mourners Gather At The Staples Center In Los Angeles
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Thousands of mourners today paid tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The "Celebration of Life" service included speeches from Vanessa Bryant, artists, and NBA stars.
The "Celebration of Life for Kobe & Gianna Bryant" service was held on Monday, February 24, at Staples Center. The arena is home to the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant's career-long NBA organization.
The ceremony opened with a performance by Beyoncé, which was followed by opening remarks from Los Angeles-area talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
Vanessa Bryant, Kobe's widow and Gianna's mother, also spoke during the service.
Vanessa Bryant shares touching stories about Kobe
Vanessa Bryant shares some funny stories about Kobe Bryant during the memorial. #KobeFarewell pic.twitter.com/rN0wAgsOHl
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) February 24, 2020
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Kobe and Gianna Bryant Memorial service details
Reportedly, over 88,000 people applied for tickets to the memorial service. Staples Center holds a maximum capacity of 20,000, so many gathered outside of the arena to pay their respects.
Stars including Michael Jordan, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez, and many more were in attendance.
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The world mourns the loss of Kobe and Gianna
The memorial service comes one month after a tragic helicopter crash that took the lives of Kobe, Gianna, and seven others on January 24, 2020.
Kobe and Gianna were also honoured at numerous ceremonies in recent weeks, including the Oscars, the NBA All-Star Game, and prior to a Los Angeles Lakers home game.
Views from outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles
I'm outside the Staples Center for Kobe's memorial and it's quite a scene pic.twitter.com/yLK87vP6Zz
— Eric Levenson (@ejleven) February 24, 2020
