WNBA Commissioner on the tragic loss of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, daughter Gigi
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert remembers NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gigi and the enduring legacy they left on the game and spirit of basketball.
A legion of 20,000 mourners – from devoted fans to the greatest living legends of the NBA – will celebrate the lives of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna at a public memorial Monday at the Staples Center, the arena revered as “the house that Kobe built,” in downtown Los Angeles.
The public service comes nearly a month after a helicopter crashed into a foggy hillside in Calabasas, Calif., killing Bryant, Gianna and seven others on board.
KOBE BRYANT HONORED AT NBA ALL-STAR GAME BY MAGIC JOHNSON, JENNIFER HUDSON, COMMON
In the days after the crash, an estimated 250,000 mourners paid tribute to the Los Angeles Lakers legend outside the arena with makeshift memorials, the Los Angeles Times reported. But Monday’s event is being handled differently, with police urging fans to stay away from the area unless they have a ticket.
Fans gathered at a memorial for Kobe Bryant in front of Staples Center in Los Angeles following his death. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
Here’s what you need to know about the memorial.
When is the memorial?
The doors of the Staples Center will open at 8 a.m. PT on Monday, Feb. 24.
The service is set to start at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET).
Los Angeles police said several roads in the area will be closed to manage both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Officers will also manage checkpoints to ensure only those with tickets are allowed to enter the area.
Hours after the memorial, the Los Angles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies will tip-off in a scheduled game at the Staples Center.
How to watch
Members of the public must have purchased a ticket to attend the service, which is now sold out. All the proceeds will go to Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, the Lakers have said.
With only 20,000 seats available in the arena and more than 90,000 people registering to buy tickets, many have been put on a waitlist, according to FOX11 Los Angeles.
There will be no overflow area for fans to watch from outside the Staples Center or the nearby LA Live complex, police said. The exterior screens at both locations will not televise the event to prevent massive crowds.
Those unable to attend the memorial service in person can watch it live on NBA TV beginning at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET), according to a programming schedule on its website.
Livestreams will also be available on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and elsewhere, according to the Los Angeles Lakers' website.
What to know
The date, 2/24/20, is symbolic of the No. 2 worn by Gianna on her youth basketball team and the No. 24 worn by Bryant over his final ten NBA seasons. The 20 represents Kobe’s tenure as a Laker and how long he and his wife, Vanessa, were married, she wrote on Instagram.
Tickets ranged in price from $24.02 to $224 – numbers that also represent the jersey numbers worn by Bryant and Gianna.
Who’s going?
While it is still unclear who will speak at the service, Bryant’s former Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal and former coach Del Harris are expected to be just some of the NBA greats who will fill up the arena, according to the New York Times.
An array of celebrities, athletes and NBA players, both current and former, have honored Bryant in the weeks following his death, including Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Dwayne Wade, Queen Latifah and Common.