L.A. Prepares To Honor Kobe Bryant And Gianna At The Staples Center For Public Memorial Service
Today is the day where thousands of people will gather together to celebrate the lives of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
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The event is expected to be incredibly moving and emotional as thousands will be looking back on a bunch of special moments of Kobe as they mourn and pay their respect to the late NBA legend. It’s going to be a pretty big turnout as more than 88,000 applied for tickets just in the first 5 hours they became available. TMZ notes that the Staples Center has a capacity of around 20,000 people. However, it was said that many of those tickets had already been accounted for with Kobe’s family, friends, and the NBA community.
Law enforcement expects thousands of people who can’t get inside the event to stand outside the Center, where Kobe played for 20 years and became a beloved figure in Los Angeles and around the world. It was noted that ceremony will NOT be broadcast on the screens outside Staples so they’re urging fans without tickets to stay home and watch the broadcast on TV or online. As of right now, it is unclear who will be speaking or perform at the memorial.
As we previously reported, Kobe and Gianna tragically died with seven others after their helicopter crashed in Los Angeles on Jan. 26.
Vanessa Bryant, who is expected to attend the event, said of the losses just days after the accident,
“We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.”
TMZ notes that the memorial stream will begin at 9:30 AM PT.
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